Warriors of the World
by Bergamot-Dreams
Summary: Eight mercenaries must band together in an effort to defeat the darkness that clouds Rune Midgard. But they must grow to trust each other, for their lack of trust will be the cause of their deaths...except they hardly know each other.
1. Chapter 1

It is said in any world, to care for the big things you had to start caring for the small things.

But what if you wanted to care for the world, and it wasn't big enough?

Somehow big things always started with small things. Revolutions were sparked off with little ideas, mountains were built from sand and people were created by small living things called cells. Almost every time this process happened, over and over again. Big things from small things.

But what if you had to protect the world...to protect people?

That was why I wrote _almost_.

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WARRIORS OF THE WORLD

a ragnarok online fanfic

Chapter 1

It was a nice day in Prontera. Of course, it was late spring - just the right time for hanging around in the city doing business or just general wandering around. There appeared to be plenty of travellers from afar as well, winding long yarns about what they'd seen and experienced. Many of these travellers were powerful and battle-scarred, so it wasn't hard to imagine what they'd been through.

Today, another one entered Prontera through the Western Gate. He walked through the masses of people sitting or standing by the streets. Merchants called out their wares as he passed, while blacksmiths and alchemists rested happily. Children ran in the streets, laughing joyfully, almost upsetting a guard. Delicious smells passed him, of fruits and potions and the odd flower or dish or so.

Somehow, however, all these became somewhat muted around this particular traveller. Sounds became muffled, smells indistinguishable, light slightly blurred. It was only for a second or so - after all, he was walking quite fast - but it didn't mean that no one noticed. A blacksmith did.

He watched the traveller, a knight, lead his peco in. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with this particular fellow, although he could have sworn all his senses were nullified when the knight had passed. He shrugged vaguely and resumed his sharpening a bastard sword.

The knight didn't really look particularly threatening, in any way. He didn't look like the kind of person who would be a hero. He had white hair that was slightly bushy and green eyes that looked straight onward as he walked. There was a visor just above his eyes, and an iron fin-like accessory with transparent green webbing behind each ear. He didn't walk like he owned the place, or as if he was trying to hide something. He just walked. The sword at his side was neither gleaming nor new.

It was just that compared to the other knights he acted quite different. Other knights milled around, talking, laughing, discussing and looking through wares. Even a knight sitting at a table in an outdoor restaurant was looking interestedly at what was going around him. This one didn't even look. And, well...he appeared to have no friends, or no [i visible [i friends, at any rate.

He stopped in the plaza and looked around. Behind him his peco snorted quietly and scratched at the cobbles as an attempt to find something to eat. The knight looked back over his shoulder, and then went over to the bird and opened a bag hanging on its side. He dug around in it for a bit before pulling out some monster feed and threw it in the direction of the peco's head. The bird snapped its large beak on the food and munched happily as he returned to his normal position in front of his steed.

He seemed to be looking for something. At length he started moving towards South Prontera, weaving his way through the thick crowd. South Prontera was a favourite with merchants, blacksmiths and alchemists as an area of trade. He appeared to consider the idea of mounting his peco, but then he apparently decided against it and finally got to the young girl bowing and smiling happily next to the gate.

'May I help you, sir?' she said, smiling at him, while a thief and an acolyte argued over who was going to ask for services first behind them.

'Storage system,' said the knight quietly. He held out a packet. It was about one foot high.

'Please fill in your password, sir,' said the girl, holding out a tag. The knight took it and wordlessly wrote it down, before giving it back to her. She attached it onto the packet and blew on it. It disappeared.

After a few minutes she opened her eyes and said, 'Your packet has been duly stored, sir. Thank you for using the Kafra storage.' She bowed to the knight, but when she straightened up he was already gone.

The knight sat on a tussock and closed his eyes. It was peaceful in the forest, and there was a cool wind blowing through it. The sound of the leaves rustling were music to his ears.

On his right the peco sat down and yawned widely. He looked at it.

'Tired, hm?' he said, reaching out to stroke the bird's feathers. 'I couldn't agree with you more. Prontera really is too busy these days.'

Suddenly his head snapped around to his left. He listened intently, his hand grasping his scabbard. Then in one swift movement he stood up and drew his sword, pointing it in the direction of some bushes.

'Stop hiding,' he said. 'I'm not deaf and I'm certainly not blind.'

Two men rose from the bushes. 'It's us, Valkron,' said one, hesitantly raising his hands into the air. 'You don't have to do that, you know. We were just seeing if the coast was clear.'

Valkron lowered his sword. 'Oh, really?' he said coldly. 'What would a couple of the King's men be doing sneaking around like some low-class thieves? And what would they fear? Porings?'

In the embarrassed silence a small group of pink blobs bounced past happily.

'Well, err...you see, the King wants all the mercenaries registered with him to form parties,' said the man. 'There's some sort of threat in Rune-Midgard again, and he wants it dealt with.'

Valkron sheathed his sword. 'So he's coming after me?' he said, raising an eyebrow. 'Just because I performed a small service means that I am eternally sworn with him? I _did_ mention that I wasn't bound to anyone.'

'That wasn't small,' said the man indignantly. 'You rescued the King from getting attacked!'

'By a bloody lot of, what, creamies? You've got to be mad, calling that a service.' Valkron sat down on his tussock. His peco watched uninterestedly from where it sat. 'No. I want some peace. Leave me alone.'

'Unfortunately the King cannot allow that,' said a well-oiled voice. It was the second man. 'Mercenaries are meant to be hired after all and they can't decide if they want to fight or not, hm?'

Valkron hated this. Other mercenaries got idiots to hire the, but the King knew his behaviour too well. He dealt with dumbness with his sword, but since this man was cunning _and_ a court noble it wasn't such a good idea. The King always sent one of these along when he was dealing with Valkron.

He sighed. 'What's the deal?' he said.

'Since the "deal" is quite a matter to be dealt with,' said the second man, letting Valkron hear the inverted commas click into place, 'the reward is a hundred million zeny, and an Emperium to form your own guild, plus other much-desired services. I trust that you would accept it?'

The knight stared at the grass in thought, while the two men waited. The second man was grinning smugly, as if he knew what Valkron was in for.

'No,' he said at last. 'Not attractive.'

'WHAT?' said the second man, so suddenly that his companion took a few steps back. 'The reward's got to be more than anyone has ever dreamed for! You're just going to turn it down like that?'

'Yes,' said Valkron. 'I don't give a damn about the money, to be frank. As I've always said...I'll fight for the world, and only for the world.' His eyes glazed over when he said this.

There was a pause, where the two men gazed at the knight. Then the second man said haughtily, 'Very well. I will inform the King of your...disobedience, and we shall see what happens!' He turned around stiffly and headed for the Southern Gate, his companion stumbling behind him.

The knight blinked, and then looked up between the gaps of the leaves above him, at the blue sky with its radiant sun. 'I only fight for the world,' he said, more to himself than to anyone else. 'Like the people I never truly knew.'

It was evening as he made his way towards Izlude. His peco followed behind him happily, occasionally snapping at insects that fluttered up from the grass before Valkron could step on them. He himself looked straight forward, his eyes expressionless, emotionless, but watching his surroundings with an alertness that surpassed an assassin's.

As he walked up a slope that would eventually lead to the satellite town he noticed a swordsman and a thief laughing over something that looked very much like a dead twig. He stopped and watched them, as they looked over it.

'Are you sure it's genuine?' said the swordsman, as they examined the stick carefully.

''Course it is, I didn't waste my effort to steal this from a priest!' said the thief. 'And one of the mercenaries, too! They're always rich and powerful to get these!'

'How would you know?' said his friend. 'We should test it.'

The thief looked around, completely failing to spot Valkron standing behind them. 'Not here! Do you want to get us killed? We'll get to the Southern Gate and break it then!'

'Hey, you two.'

The kids looked at Valkron.

'Put that down,' he said. 'Slowly, please. We don't need a mob of monsters here right this very minute.'

The swordsman looked at his friend, who stuck out his tongue at the knight. 'Nyeh, like I'd listen to you, mister! I got it with my hard work and I'm not going to put it down!'

'You might regret for not doing it.'

'That's what they always say, but I don't care!' The thief looked back at the swordsman. 'Hey, let's test it on him, how's that?'

'What?' said the swordsman and Valkron, at the same time.

The thief grinned mischievously, and then put it on the ground and stamped hard on it. There was a snap, and purple smoke billowed out of the broken ends of the twig. The swordsman said, 'Oh, shit, we're really going to get into trouble again. My mam's going to kill me when she finds out--'

'Like she ever would!' said the thief. 'We're just taking a little risk. Might be an easy monster - we don't know, heh?' He laughed, but the laughter died away. The smoke had formed a tall pillar - much taller than them or Valkron. It was taking shape. A wing here, a claw there...

There was a moment of suspense before the kids screamed in unison, 'AHHHH!! MUTANT DRAGON!!'

The creature grinned nastily at them. It crouched for a second before it reached for them, snarling with hunger. Saliva flew from its open mouth lined with gleaming teeth. The two of them ran for it, but the edge of the ridge they were on was just behind them and they had nowhere to run. They turned to face the monster, clutching at each other in fear, their knees shaking and their teeth chattering. The animal loomed on them and raised its bloodstained claws--

There was the sound of metal hitting flesh, and the creature screamed in pain. It turned around and faced Valkron. The tip of his sword was dripping in black blood. The mutant dragon looked at it, hissed and threw itself on the knight. Sparks flew as the blade scraped across the toughened scales of its arms, but Valkron was not taking chances. He flung the thing off him and held the sword upright in front of him.

'Come on, you brute,' he said under his breath, as the creature watched him warily.

The thing hovered uncertainly, looking at the kids and back at Valkron. It seemed to be deciding which would be a better target. Then it made up its mind and leapt, wing outstretched, at the knight.

It took just a second, but a second was all he needed. Yellow light flared at his hilt, and then he blocked the creature's claws. There was a gleam of light, a swipe, a sound, and the animal's hand flew into the air. The thief and the swordsman covered their ears as the dragon howled, but it was wide open. The knight dashed forward, ducked as another claw-laden hand swiped at him and then drove the blade upwards and home.

There was a silence only broken by the sound of the dripping blood from the hilt of Valkron's sword hitting the ground. He withdrew the sword in one movement, his magic still working away, and let the creature fall. He turned around to look at the kids, who were still shivering.

'Don't ever get one of those again,' he said. 'Go home. And stop playing around.'

The two of them seemed mesmerized by the black blood all over the blade, but they managed to tear their eyes away from it and run back into Izlude. Valkron sighed in exasperation and went to clean his sword.

It was always this way, he thought, wiping the blade clean. Everyone didn't know what they were getting into. Kids these days.

He'd hardly remembered doing this as a kid. Oh well, time for him to move on. He looked at the blackened cloth, and then clenched it tight in one fist. Fire burst out from between his fingers and licked away at the cloth. He watched it begin to burn, after which he turned his fist around and dropped it. The cloth was ashes by the time it reached the ground.

He turned to the peco. 'Looks like I'll be going to Payon after all,' he said to it. 'Come on, let's go. I don't want to be here now. This place is so pointless, like everything else.'

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Before I continue, it will be of much note that people will only get knocked out throughout the story. I must apologise. Besides, there is no Resurrection skill in this fanfic, so people who are dead will stay dead. This is an important point to take note of. And I won't godmode either - that's downright cheating and it spoils the story anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The crickets chirped around Valkron as he watched the blazing fire. The Peco snorted in its sleep. Somewhere beyond the trees a Rocker joined in the song around him, while a Fabre squished past him. There was a sound not unlike a heartbeat as a pupa sat quietly in one corner of the dense forest.

He'd been heading for Payon, but the offer kept coming back to him. It wasn't tempting him or anything, but he mulled over it. Why had the king been so desperate? It must be a serious threat. Most people wouldn't take a hundred million zeny lightly, especially concerning mercenaries. These days all they wanted was money. Money, money, money.

And he'd thrown in an Emperium, too. It was a dream of every mercenary to start up their own guild. It meant having an emblem, respect and honour. It meant glory, fame and power. Of course, then there were the guild castles to conquer, and that was a prized favourite with _everyone_, not just mercenaries. He'd seen one of their wars. It was bloody, violent, crazed, wild and, above all, fought terribly. He'd never seen a draw before just because all the members of both guilds had been knocked out.

It wasn't really proper night yet, but he'd been riding his peco for three days. It wasn't surprising that it should sleep first. As a knight he disliked walking, because of his armour, but sometimes there were times he had to walk, and no questions asked. He leaned back on his hands and looked up into the dark blue sky. A few early stars were peeking out.

There was no movement or sound except that of the fire, before Valkron leapt to his feet, drawing out his sword. He looked around warily, listening, watching. He did not need sound or movement to alarm him - he was trained enough feel the presence of an intruder.

There was no movement, and then a Poring bounced out from some bushes. Valkron relaxed and put a hand over his eyes. His awareness had its disadvantages.

The Poring looked up at him happily, and then bounced away in another direction. He watched it go resignedly and turned to settle back. So much for training.

There was a 'pop' that sounded very similar to a Poring getting killed.

An eddga came into the ring of firelight thrown out by the fire. It fixed its cat eyes on Valkron and growled. The knight swore under his breath, pulling out his sword, but the cat had already charged. He whirled aside, aware of a ripping sound as the cat's claws tore into his cloak. Fire blazed along the blade and he plunged the blade into the monster's arm, wrenching it as he passed. A long bloody gash appeared in its arm, but it simply turned and swiped at him. Valkron reacted a second too late. As the air was sent out of him he thought: Oh, damn...

A few seconds later he hit the ground, but as he had learned years ago from his own experience a man lying down exposes a lot more than a man standing up. He got up and wiped the blood away from a cut near his mouth, ready to fight back.

The tiger-like creature was quite intelligent, for something that spent most of its time smoking with a pipe. It too stared at him. Knight and monster stayed like that for a few minutes, and then both attacked at the same time. Fire flared, before they leapt back down and stayed still. Valkron felt the sting of pain on one leg. Wincing, he looked down to see a rip in the thick leather around his leg. He mentally cursed himself for not paying attention.

The tiger attacked. Valkron, caught unawares, barely dodged it. He slammed the flat of his blade into the creature's body and felt muscles harden against the impact. It was a basic swordsman skill, so he was hardly surprised that it hadn't affected the creature. Then the full mass of the creature hit him, sending air out of him again. He gritted his teeth, pressed the flat of his sword on the creature's belly, and pushed with his might.

It took him a long time, but finally the furry, warm, stinking mass got off him. It was that or risk the long blade sinking into its belly. The knight staggered up, grimacing in the smell it had left behind. He badly needed a wash now.

The eddga sent an impact blow back at him. Since he was still dazed from what had just happened, it knocked him off his feet. He tried getting up again, but he was winded. Somewhere in his hot, hurting head there was a pool of calm, a cool ball of tranquillity. It thought: I let my guard down.

As he struggled to get up, he looked up through a red mist to see the Eddga ready to do it again. One more hit, and he was going to be plain mush. He _had _to get up. His legs secured footholds in the ground and he heaved, just as the impact whirled towards him again.

Valkron looked up muzzily. He could _see_ the air being displaced by the attack. The leaves on the ground whirled upwards and around the blow. The calm spot in his mind quietly said, There's nothing I can do now, except shield my eyes. His arm went up, and it was just in time. White-blue light filled the area and so did a very cold, strong wind.

After a while the light faded away. Valkron lowered his arm, aware that impact blows did not cause white light. There was a white-blue glow emanating from something very large in front of him. He blinked twice, trying to clear his vision, at the same time reaching out to touch the thing.

It was very, very cold. Vapour was rising off it. It was also a white translucent colour.

It was a wall of ice.

Valkron felt it, feeling somewhat detached. It was real ice, that was for certain, but he was sure he was in the forest, not in the mountains.

The wall shook, as if something behind it was hitting it with full force, but it still stood. There was only one kind of person who could do this in Rune-Midgard.

'In a bit of a tight spot there, eh? Here, I'll clear it off.'

Lightning flashed above the wall. It struck something on the other side. There was a yowl, which brought Valkron back to his senses.

'That's an eddga!' he said. 'It's not just any--'

'I know, I know, I've been watching you for the past half hour anyway.' This time he was sure it was ice that struck from the skies, before a mighty gale hit the area. There was a long, drawn-out yowl from the other side, which faded away. Valkron, still staring at the wall, heard someone move behind him, and the wall of ice dissolved away.

'Funny, I thought you were a pretty good fighter when I was watching you.' The owner of the voice was walking closer. 'But still, when it comes to endurance nobody can top it. What do you specialise in?'

Valkron turned around. Standing in front of him was a wizard - the tallest he'd ever seen, probably about six feet. He had flaming red hair, with one lock of it covering his left eye. The eye that was visible was a bright golden. He was also wearing a pair of headphones and a wide grin with a leaf sticking out of it.

'Speed,' he said shakily.

'I see. Not for close combat. I thought you knights always were.' The Wizard rubbed his head. 'In that case, would a potion come in handy?'

Valkron raised an eyebrow, despite his tiredness.

'Ah. All right.' The man looked around the place as if looking for some other topic to talk about, and then shrugged. 'Oh well. Can't avoid the question.' He stuck out his gloved hand to Valkron. 'Name's Emeth. What's yours?'

'Valkron.' There was a brief sensation of falling, before everything faded away.

When he opened his eyes, the sun was up, but most of it had been eclipsed by a large red hairy moon. He focused on it, and it became Emeth bending over him.

'Good morning,' he said.

'Are you trying to be funny?' demanded the knight.

'No, I'm being nice,' said Emeth, without a trace of irony. 'You won't know how people wake up without a nice greeting to start off their day.'

Valkron groaned, and sat up. The Wizard sat back and watched him massage his head.

'Payon's just ahead,' he said. 'If you can get up I'll run ahead and grab a couple of rooms in an inn, how's that? I know some good inns in Payon.'

'Thanks, but no.' Valkron sighed. 'I can get there on my own, and I have my own experience.'

He got up from the ground, but then with a yelp he slid back down. He had forgotten about the cut on his leg.

'I suppose I must,' said Emeth, in a non-committal way. With much scrabbling he got Valkron to his feet. He grabbed the knight around the back. 'Any protest, before I continue?'

'No.'

They reached Payon before noon, which was just as well. The Archers' Village, as it was called because novices aspiring to be archers went there to train (but no one said anything about the hunters' guild, which was also there), was almost deserted in the mornings. There was relatively nothing to do there, so the residents had a tendency to lie in.

The innkeeper didn't even raise an eyebrow at the both of them, when Emeth had half-limped, half-walked in. He simply gave what the wizard requested and even suggested a healer who was just up the street for free. Once up in the room Valkron took his place on a bed and Emeth calmly seated himself, chewing his leaf contentedly. They remained that way for the rest of the day.

It was well into the evening when the knight finally got up by himself.

'You heal well,' remarked Emeth casually, who was still sitting nearby.

'You've been there for practically the whole time,' said Valkron, gingerly massaging his leg. He had a feeling he'd known the wizard's name from somewhere, although he'd never met the red-haired fellow until now. 'I thought you wizards normally have something more important to do. I've always seen your people walking in Prontera all alone with your collars up to your noses as if you're doing something suspicious.'

Emeth blinked. 'Um...why are you saying that? Our collars are like that. We're loners, that's all.'

'And you don't have anything else to do?' Valkron was also sure he'd seen Emeth before, but it was more of a glance at him than an actual looking-at.

'Nope.'

After a while Emeth looked back at Valkron and said, 'You're a King's mercenary, aren't you?'

'Yes. What about it?' said Valkron grudgingly. 'I don't really like the job, but these days I don't have much choice either.'

'You heard of the threat, hm?' said the wizard, taking out his leaf and inspecting the bite marks on it.

'Ye-- wait a second.' The knight gave him a suspicious look. 'How'd you know? I've met plenty of civilians who don't know a thing about it.'

'You're talking to a King's mercenary here.'

Ah. So that was it. There had been an assembly of the King's mercenaries fairly recently, and that was where he'd seen the tall wizard making his way through the crowd. It was not too hard to spot him, come to think of it.

'I've never seen wizards as tall as you,' said Valkron, looking about for his visor and accessories. 'They always seem to stoop so that they look inconspicuous. In my opinion they look bloody conspicuous, anyway.' He located them on a small table near the door and went to get them.

'Stupid, isn't it?' said Emeth, still in the same casual voice. 'Well, I know that plenty of people would respect a tall wizard, at any rate, so I don't stoop.'

The knight gave him a look, which was totally wasted because Emeth wasn't watching him. 'I'd like to know why're you're still here. Any fellow who knows me would at least get me here and then leg it when they had the chance. '

'Point number one, I don't know you.' Emeth coolly put the leaf back in his mouth and took off his headphones. 'Point number two, why should I? Point number three,' here he looked at Valkron, 'I thought you'd be wanting someone to come along so at least you've got someone backing you up when you deal with the threat.'

'I've told the recruiters that I'm not tagging along for the ride,' snapped Valkron. 'And I mean it. There's no benefit for me, one way or another. Why do you think I specialise in speed for?'

'Why do you think other knights specialise in endurance for?' said Emeth.

The knight opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He could never really answer that question. Besides, he was starting to get the feeling that the wizard was a lot cleverer than he appeared to be.

'I don't like people being with me,' he said finally. 'That's all.'

'The infamous Valkron?' said Emeth, picking lint off his cloak. 'The one who was reported to have cleared the gates of Glast Heim when Wraiths threatened to attack Prontera from there? The one who took on Moonlight Flower in Sograt and not only survived but won, against all expectations? You've got a pretty good reputation for a knight specialising in speed and a lone wolf at that.'

'Look here, I don't know why you're telling me all this but it's a fine time for you to,' said Valkron. 'I appreciate your help with the eddga, thank you very much, and for bringing me here to recover, but now I think it's time we should be going our separate ways.' He turned and walked out of the room.

As the knight walked down the flight of stairs leading to the reception area, he shook his head. He was downright fed up of people. It was true that he didn't like people to follow him around. Those who _did_ manage to get to follow him gave it up shortly afterwards because he treated them like nuisances.

'Wait, Valkron!'

The knight rolled his eyes, but stopped anyway. He knew people like Emeth didn't give up so easily. It was just difficult to find them.

There was a clatter from the floor above, which indicated Emeth was standing at the top of the stairs. 'It looks like you don't know,' he said, sounding breathless. 'The King has emphasized that every mercenary has to have a party consisting of at least two or more people. He's given a heavy penalty to those who don't obey this rule.'

'And you want to join me, is it?' said Valkron, not looking at him.

'What other choice do I have?' said Emeth. 'On that subject, everyone has followed the rule, so what other choice do _you_ have?'


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Valkron pulled up the reins of his peco. It came to a stop, and turned its large head to watch him dismount. He walked a little way from the bird and looked around as if he was looking for something other than forest.

'Where are you actually headed for, Valkron?' said Emeth. He was holding up his staff and illuminating the forest around them by means of flame from the crystal on top. 'We've been walking for three days and half a night.'

'I was actually heading for Geffen, but somehow this place doesn't seem familiar,' said the knight. 'And stop looking at me like that. I can feel it on the back of my neck.'

'You come all the way to Payon from Prontera and you're actually heading for Geffen?' said Emeth incredulously. 'I'm amazed. Couldn't you have just walked out from the West Gate and went straight? No one goes wrong. Incidentally, there aren't any eddgas there.'

'This is what I do after I complete a mission,' said Valkron. 'Is there anything wrong with it? After all this is the world I live in and protect with my life, so I might as well do anything I like in it.'

'It's not wrong, it's just odd. And please don't tell me we're lost.'

'_You're_ odd for a wizard. And we're not lost.'

'Really?' Emeth was somewhat annoying when he spotted out people's attempts to make themselves look good. The bad part of it was that he didn't make such tries, so no one could counter him.

'Yes.' Valkron surveyed the forest in front of him. 'I'm just...directionally challenged.'

'Wonderful.' The wizard's voice didn't just sound sarcastic, it _oozed_ with it. 'I'll just go and sit on that rock over there, shall I, while you deal with your directionally challenged mind.'

Valkron groaned inwardly as the light behind him shifted. He felt it was a bad idea to bring along the wizard. But just as Emeth had said, what other choice did he have? He'd seen mercenaries walking in parties. None of the ones he knew were alone, and he didn't want any hero-worshipping kids to tag along. These days the mercenary guilds were picking up an apparently endless number of them.

He focused on his surroundings again. They should be getting further away from Alberta and Payon, he was sure of that, and the forest should be consisting of light green temperate trees instead of dark green thick jungle. But somehow the forest wasn't changing, and they had been walking north for most of the time.

In addition to that, he hadn't seen a single monster, not even a Poring. That wasn't just odd, it was suspicious. Porings were _everywhere_, no matter what people tried to do to them. He looked around carefully. There was no sound in the forest either, not even of crickets.

'You know, that tree over there looks familiar,' called out Emeth from behind. 'The one that's almost right in front of you-- oh shi--'

There was a string of syllables in another language, and the firelight, which had been dimming, brightened again. Valkron recognised the spell - a basic fire skill.

He looked at the tree. Emeth was right - the tree did look familiar.

'All right, Emeth,' he said, turning around. 'I want no jokes from you, and no sarcasm. Something's going on around here and you know it.'

'That took you a long time,' said the wizard, before he hastily put up his hands to the sound of Valkron's sword sliding out of his scabbard. 'Okay, okay, yes, I knew. There's a crack in time around here, and that means there's a dimensional portal somewhere around bending time and reality to make it adjust to this world. It's probably because of warped energy that the environment's being distorted and the delicate balance of the magical field is being-- what? What did I say?'

'Speak in proper English,' said Valkron, who was holding his sword dangerously close to the wizard's neck.

'I am!'

'Not the one I'm used to.'

Emeth sighed. 'Something's trying to get into our world.'

'That's IT?'

'Um...yes. What were you expecting?' Emeth leaned away from the blade. 'That's the threat here, but it's not in Payon, actually. I'm not quite sure of its source, because the magic coming in is old and delusionary for us, so it leaks everywhere and produces a discontinuation of--'

'And you didn't tell the King?'

'No. A king wouldn't know what to do.'

Valkron suddenly understood what Emeth was trying not to tell him. 'You came to ME thinking that I could certainly help you out with this magical problem?'

'Yes, to be frank. Sorr--'

Valkron bent down until his head was at the same level as Emeth's. 'Who do you think I am? You definitely deserve a head wallop.' The tip of his sword aimed itself at Emeth, who tried to lean further away from it. He was already at about a 135-degree angle leaning backwards.

'Look, I just wanted to tell you this isn't the time to start arguing over this because--'

Suddenly Valkron's mind went up in flames. He dropped his sword and to his knees, clutching his head as wave after wave of hot, burning pain surged and crashed into each other inside his skull. Beside him Emeth had fallen sideways off his rock and was visibly writhing in pain. The forest around them twisted and warped itself into strange, swirling images while an insistent whining intensified around them. Pressure squeezed their surroundings and them until he felt as if every single organ in his body was being pressed out.

Then there was a sensation similar to a stretched rubber sheet being released, and everything snapped back into place. Pain, pressure, image and sound disappeared.

The knight took his hands away from his head after he was sure that his brain wasn't oozing out of cracks on his skull and tried to catch his breath. Beside him Emeth had curled up and was not in a position to talk or even move.

'Looks like we'll have to do this after all,' said Valkron weakly.

* * *

The only thing they were thankful for was that by morning they found out that they were in a brighter, cleaner forest. It signified that they had indeed journeyed north. However, Valkron had to admit that they were certainly lost.

'Either we're below Geffen, near Morroc, or below Prontera,' he said, without taking his eyes off the map in his hands. 'It could be any of the three. We couldn't have wandered off so far to make it to Umbala or Comodo,' he added, catching sight of Emeth's expression.

'Well, wherever we are that portal thing's going to affect plenty of people. Not just us.' Emeth stretched, wincing a little as the after-effects from the previous night made themselves felt. He noticed Valkron was staring at him. 'Yes?'

'You seem to know a lot about it,' said the knight, rather pointedly.

Emeth sighed. 'It's just a matter of something trying to get in from another world. I said that already. Whatever it is, it's performing some complex spell that's forcing entry into our world, you understand?'

'How do you know it's a spell and not some kind of, say, a natural process?'

'Because no natural process can control time. It's easy to deduce it when you've thought about it long enough. The spell forces time and space apart to make a sort of portal. It's not a very accomplished one, though,' added Emeth. 'For one, there's a lot of old, raw magic from our world being used, and it's really more like a passage than a doorway.'

'What, it's harder to make a hole than to build a corridor?'

The wizard sighed again. 'I understand you haven't had a magical education, but it's easy. It's the first thing a novice aspiring to be a magician learns. Passages are a lot easier to upkeep because magic is evenly distributed, but having a doorway is like concentrating your willpower into one spot. A doorway is liable to collapse any time because the practitioner may find it a lot harder to focus on one spot. Only accomplished wizards can do it, and they'll do it on pain of death anyway. Too risky.'

'And why did you come to me?'

'I didn't actually _come_ to you. That's an exaggeration.' Emeth sniffed. 'I was just looking for a bit of respite from all the study when I met you, to be honest. Only when we were in Payon did I actually remember who you were.'

Valkron looked around at the forest, with its birds singing happily away, hidden somewhere in the thick foliage. 'Tell me,' he said, 'what happens when something succeeds opening a portal here.'

'Um...nothing, unless the something you're referring to is dangerous,' said Emeth.

'And that's the whole concept?'

'No. But if I did tell you the whole concept you'd probably be asleep before it's even halfway through.'

'Ah.' The knight looked around again. 'And yet if it was harmless would it still be a threat to us?'

'_Oh_, you're referring to the threat.' Valkron could see that Emeth was being honest this time, but that didn't increase their friendship level. 'Well, no. It's being dangerous because the old magic is being awakened and may probably rip up our world once the summoning is done.'

'By the way you say "old magic" I'm not allowed to even ask after it, am I?'

'I'm not allowed to tell people who don't have a magical education.'

Valkron nodded, more to himself than to anyone else. 'There's only one thing I've got to say to this threat,' he said, folding up the map.

'What is it?'

'It's coming into _my_ world? It's threatening _my_ home? Bugger _that_.'

* * *

They did not manage to reach any portal for the next few days, in which they spent a lot of time arguing over the matter and navigating their way through the forest. Eventually they got tired of it, but it didn't mean the topic was over.

Emeth held up his staff. 'Hmm.'

'What is it now?' said Valkron, who was walking alongside his peco.

'My staff's picking up an increased wavelength in the magical field.' As he spoke, the crystal on the top flashed red.

'Portal?'

'No, not here. If it was we'd be dead.'

The wizard swung his staff from side to side. Valkron noticed how the crytal's brightness dimmed on one side and brightened up on the other. Then Emeth said, 'The wavelength's from Geffen, but it seems something dangerous is around here as well. If the wavelength was just Geffen's the crystal would be pure white, but the red...doesn't look good.'

'And what do we do?' said Valkron patiently.

'I don't know. Keep walking, I guess.'

Thery had barely gone a few feet when a horse galloped out from the forest and charged straight towards them. It was no ordinary horse. The thing was pale grey all over, with a long wispy mane and tail. Its bulging, mad eyes glared at them, steam issuing from its nostrils.

'By any chance do you own a Zephyrus?' said Emeth.

'No, why?'

'I read somewhere that it's the best spear to counter a Nightmare.'

Valkron shoved Emeth aside and followed him. The mad horse charged past them barely a second later.

'I've always handled two-handed swords in my life. Never liked spears.'

The Nightmare turned and reared right above the knight, hooves waving madly in the air. Then it brought its legs down. Valkron swung his sword upwards and held it horizontally, just as the hooves hit the flat of the blade. Sparks scattered everywhere.

'Do _something_, will you?' he shouted, as the horse's hooves screeched up and down the metal. He was straining against the horse's weight. 'Don't just stand there!'

Emeth aimed his staff. There was a quick succession of magic hitting the horse, and it fell back, snorting angrily. Just as Valkron backed off, they heard rustling in the bushes behind them. They half-turned to see a group of Kobolds grinning madly at them.

'Okay, Valkron, you take on the Nightmare while I deal with these fuzzy blue idiots,' said Emeth. He swept his staff in one swift arc around him, and fire leapt from his staff to strike all the Kobolds. They howled, while the smell of burnt hair rose into the air.

'You-- Wait, you're _what_?'

The Nightmare charged again, but this time Valkron hit it across the nose. It squealed in pain.

'I'm taking orders from a wizard now,' he mumbled, gripping his sword in both hands. 'Great.' He watched the Nightmare come at him again, and leapt forward. Anyone watching him would have seen him become a blur as he dodged the horse's attempts to bite and kick him, and attacked everywhere.

Emeth aimed his staff at the advancing Kobolds and sent fire at them again. One died - he saw it fall - but its comrades stepped closer. Then one threw its axe at him. He ducked and it spun over his head.

'Right.' He uttered a few words, and ice crashed into all of them from above. The Kobolds stopped in various poses of charging. Emeth grinned mirthlessly and commanded lightning from the skies.

As the lightning fell on them, it so happened that the axe, on a return course to its owner, hit Emeth on the back of the head. He was lucky it was the handle, but it still didn't mean it wouldn't cause pain.

He staggered, wincing. The Kobold, unfrozen now that he had struck them with lightning, yowled and advanced. The one closest to him swung its flail and caught him in the stomach.

Valkron sent the Nightmare skidding backwards with his flaming sword and turned to see how Emeth was doing. He was horrified to see the wizard fall to his knees, doubling over.

'Emeth, there's no time to stop!' He felt the sensation of something over him and threw himself to one side. The Nightmare's hooves pounded on the grass just where he had been a moment ago. He took a deep breath and plunged the sword into the horse's neck.

'EMETH!' he bellowed as he held on to the sword. The horse thrashed about, whinnying and braying horribly. The sound was enough to make his ears ache.

Emeth staggered to his feet and pointed his staff at the ground. Spikes suddenly heaved out of the soil under the Kobolds. They squeaked with surprise as they fell back, before the wall of rock blocked them entirely from view. He turned around and aimed his staff at the Nightmare. Lightning flashed.

'OI! You're not going to--'

Lightning...struck.

The Nightmare reared, sending Valkron's sword flying out of its neck. Valkron, still firmly attached to it, was thrown aside and landed sprawled on the ground. In front of him the ground was illuminated with white light as the lightning hit the horse.

The knight had been winded by the fall, but he rolled over on his back. A pair of hooves descended from above him. He stared at them, dazed, vaguely aware of Emeth shouting his name, before he came to his senses and rolled. The hooves thudded on the ground behind him.

Valkron sprang to his feet just in time to witness a Kobold hit Emeth on the back of his neck with its hammer. The wizard stumbled forward and turned, just as the Kobold took aim again. But what the knight had not expected was to see Emeth dodge the blow and unsheathe a dagger from somewhere inside his cloak. All it mattered was speed and the little knife.

Emeth sent the dagger home. Valkron winced as something heavy hit him on the back. He turned and plunged the sword into the horse's chest. There was another braying squeal, before the Nightmare dissolved away into smoke. At the same time the Kobolds threw themselves onto the weakened wizard.

It was Valkron who attacked them viciously, throwing them off Emeth with such force that some of them hit tree trunks. They picked themselves up and ran off, squealing.

The knight looked down at his companion. Emeth had a nasty cut under one eye which was starting to swell, and there was blood running down the side of his head. Valkron knew he didn't look any better.

'Let's call it a day, eh?' said Emeth breathlessly, and then fell forward.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The wind blew through the forest, sending leaves rustling and fallen leaves flying. Overhead the sun shone brightly, while birds fluttered from tree to tree, singing happily. Porings bounced along the grass and happily stole other monsters' loot, while Fabres squirmed around. A pupa sat in its spot and thumped happily away.

And then there was a loud 'OW!' that sent the birds flying and the monsters hurriedly running away.

Valkron aimed his sword at Emeth. 'Don't you dare come near me,' he said warningly.

'What? I was just helping.' The wizard edged away from the sword. He was holding a damp cloth, and with this he clamped it over his eye. The blood streaming from the cut was not a pleasant sight. 'You asked for it.'

'I never said I wanted you to press on my bruises, thank you,' snapped the knight. It was amazing that such a well-armoured person like Valkron could get bruises, but he had plenty. There was no need to mention about the large one that crossed his back, which Emeth had spotted while they had been washing themselves in the nearby river.

'I still say you need medication for them,' said Emeth. 'I've never seen bruises like that before.'

Valkron didn't say anything. He had taken off some of his armour, so what he appeared to be wearing underneath all that metal was a brown, thin cotton shirt. Most of his bruises were showing.

After a while he said, 'Why do you need hair to cover one eye?'

'Hm?'

It was not surprising Valkron had asked this question. The Kobolds had scored the hit under Emeth's left eye, which was the one covered. Because of this the wizard had to pull back the fringe to hold the cloth there.

'Are you blind in that eye?'

'No, thank you very much,' said Emeth hotly. 'It's the hairstyle, all right? I can see with my left eye through my hair. The fringe isn't that bloody thick.'

Valkron raised an eyebrow. 'I was just asking.'

The peco had been watching interestedly. Since both of them were sitting on the ground, its head had been looking down and turning from side to side like a spectator watching a tennis match. Now it looked up and gave a nonchalant squawk.

Valkron looked up. 'People coming.'

'You can understand your peco?' said Emeth. The knight looked irritably at him.

'I know what you're going to say next,' he said. 'You're going to ask me if we take peco language courses at the Prontera Chivalry, right?'

'Erm, well, no. I was going to ask you if it was a result of being, you know,' Emeth vaguely waved his hands as if trying to shape his thoughts into something substantial, 'together all the time.'

Valkron snorted, but did not answer the unspoken question.

A party of King's mercenaries emerged from the forest just ahead of them and passed by, talking cheerfully. There was a priestess and a priest with them. As they walked by the two men, the priestess whispered something behind her hand to the rogue beside her, all the while pointing at them. Then they burst out laughing.

The priest was a lot kinder. He stopped, and said, 'Both of you lost?'

Valkron and Emeth looked at each other, and then the knight said, 'We'd just like to know where we are.'

'Geffen's just up ahead,' said the priest, pointing. 'I'm not lying, so you don't have to look at me like that. We just came from there.' He took a step back and gave the two of them a careful look. 'Where've you been, in one of the ancient dungeons scattered around?'

'What do you think?' said Emeth. The priest took a step back.

'Honestly, I was just curious,' he said apologetically. 'If you go up to Geffen there'll be a priest or two who might be willing to help you fellows out.'

'Why don't _you_ help?' said Emeth.

'Can't.' He leaned closer to them and added in a whisper, 'Mercenary party rivalry. I have rules to follow.'

He hurried off to catch up with his party. Valkron leaned forward to watch him. 'Looks like mercenary status is getting popular,' he said. 'Let's go, Emeth. We might be lucky to get a priest to clean us up.'

No more words were said until they reached Geffen. It was an odd city, in Valkron's opinion. For one thing, it was built sunken in the ground, so reaching its central spire would mean walking down flights of steps. He didn't feel safe in a city where you looked down to see the people. Then again, it _was_ a city of magic, so it might be well-protected after all.

They walked down the flights of steps, Emeth limping slightly. The place wasn't as busy as Prontera, but there were still plenty of people walking up and down. A lot of them laughed at the two.

'If it wasn't for the rules of the Magic Academy I would be freezing these idiots gladly,' said Emeth in a low voice.

'What rules?'

'Can't use magic on other people no matter how tempting it is unless you're fighting.'

There were, indeed, a lot of priests walking about the place. Valkron wasn't surprised. Geffen Tower, the central spire, was home to the wizards in the floors above and home to the horrible creatures that roamed in what was left of the Geffen Dungeons below. Ruins of the ancient dungeons left behind from the old days of the world contained much to the aspiring mercenary, such as priceless treasure. Unfortunately it also meant a lot of injury.

They watched the people milling about the entrance to the dungeons. From time to time someone heavily bandaged would be carried out on a stretcher, where one of the errant priests around would come over to help out.

'It looks like they're here to heal the mercenaries visiting the dungeons,' said Emeth doubtfully. 'Do you think any of them would help us out?'

'We'll have to push our luck, then,' said Valkron, 'but I'm not going to stand aside and suffer in silence. Emeth, you go that way. I'll take this place. Ask the priests around here for help. I'll meet you back here.'

'Oh, yeah, sure.' The wizard wiped the blood away from the awful cut and clamped the cloth back onto his eye before limping off. Valkron watched him go before going around to ask.

They spent the entire day asking. Valkron soon discovered that the priests had been paid to stay around Geffen Tower. Apparently a large group consisting of an alliance of mercenaries had gone into the dungeons to look for the 'threat', just as the King had ordered. Many of them expressed regret for not helping him out, but they said they couldn't do anything about it. They had been told not to help other mercenaries.

Others simply told him that if he paid more than what the large group had they would do what he wanted. It appeared that they had paid the priests a total of 100, 000, 000, 000 zeny, and Valkron had only 60, 000 with him right now. He'd kept the rest of it somewhere safe.

Emeth and Valkron met again as dusk was falling. Valkron had thought of calling it off for the day, but when he saw Emeth he knew he couldn't. The cut under the wizard's eye had become swollen and inflamed. He'd stared at it.

'I can tell it looks bad from your expression,' said Emeth, pouring water on the bloodstained cloth. 'But no priest seems willing to help. People these days - all they want is money.'

'Money makes the world go round,' said Valkron. Emeth nearly dropped his cloth.

'I'm sorry, did you just say that?' he said, staring incredulously at the knight. 'Whatever gave you that ide--'

'I apologise for interrupting,' said someone next to them. They looked at him.

It was a priest. He had short blond hair sticking out of his black cap, and for such a young man he had an eyeglass. He was also nonchalantly standing there with his arms folded.

'A friend of mine notified me that there were two casualties strolling around Geffen seeking aid,' he said. He had a polite, accented voice that made Valkron feel as if he was some sort of butler. 'I'm offering the help you're searching for.'

'What, you aren't with the rest?' said Emeth, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the mass of people around the base of the tower. Since it was getting dark torches had been lit and were now standing around like sentinels guarding the tower. People were resting under them.

'Well, no. I wouldn't take such an offer of money just to stand around and waste my time.' The priest smiled. Valkron suddenly noticed a golden glint on his right earlobe. 'Shall we take refuge in a nearby inn?'

* * *

It was only a matter of time before their injuries were treated well. The priest didn't use spells, unlike the others. He carried a large pack with him, and used strange, evil-smelling ointments and liquids that Valkron swore could have come out of a drain polluted with chemicals. There was a sloshing sound from inside the pack whenever the priest carried it. No one was inclined to ask what it was.

'I prefer natural medicine to magic, really,' he said, as he carefully unscrewed the lid of a jar with thick yellow ointment. 'To me the whole point of using magic is not really using it unless it's in dire need, of course. After all, our senior priests do warn us of excessive use of magic.'

'Really?' said Emeth. He was still holding the cloth to his eye. The priest had said that that cut would be attended to later, and the wizard had asked how long was later. He'd nearly got a mace in the eye.

'Oh, yes. It's fine for the wizards, but not for us.' The priest scooped out a large amount. He was dealing with the bruise across Valkron's back. 'The process would take too long to explain though. Hold still.'

There was a squish, and Emeth noticed the knight had actually jumped a bit. A few seconds later the wizard had an expression of horror etched across his face.

'Well, it does sizzle a bit,' said the priest, catching the expression. 'I used essence of fireflower in this.'

'Are you mad?' Valkron managed to choke out. 'The thing's burning!'

'That would be just the right sensation to feel when the ointment's working its effect,' replied the priest smoothly.

After much yelping and hissing with pain from both of them, the priest finally turned to Emeth. 'Let me see that,' he said.

The wizard took off the cloth. The priest studied it for some time before pointing a finger at it. He said a word. The cut healed, the swelling down and the skin reverted to its rightful colour. He dusted his hands. 'There.'

'And we thought you didn't use magic,' said Emeth, touching his eye.

'I didn't want to treat it the way I treated your other injuries. It might result in something irreversible.' The priest screwed the lids back on the various jars and returned them to his pack.

Just then the murmur of sound outside erupted into screams. Valkron and Emeth looked out of the window to see a sudden flow of people rushing out from the doorway. A torch had fallen and was now burning a small stall next to the tower. There were dark shadows amassing at the entrance.

'We'd better get down there,' said the knight, strapping on his armour. 'Come on, Emeth--'

'You seriously aren't thinking of saving those people down there, are you?' said the priest, looking up at them. They stared at him.

'Yes. Why?' said Emeth, fastening the clasp of his cloak.

'Then I'll ask you the question you asked me. Are you mad? The monsters populating the dungeons have been affected by the strange magic coursing through our world due to the portal being opened. Since Geffen has a high level of magic the probability of winning against these monsters is, well...zero point three three.'

'I _know_ that,' said Emeth, still staring at the priest. 'How did _you_ come to understand that?'

The priest closed his pack. 'By observation,' he said calmly. 'And since I am a King's mercenary I am considered quite selfish, moneyfaced, and a stinking liar.'

There was silence, only filled in by the screams outside. Then Valkron said, 'You're telling us that it's not okay to go down and help?'

'Oh, no, I didn't say that. Go on, save them, it's okay to go. It's just that this threat's being the unexplained force that causes monsters to go berserk on people. I do know that serving your world is a good thing, but I certainly don't want to lose my life in the company of people who are a lot more powerful than I am, like those down there. Okay, I'm not what I said, but in general people think that's what being a mercenary is all about. Besides,' he pointed at the window, 'those monsters won't get far. The portal's magic will only allow the monsters to reach the ring of torches, and that's it. All anyone has to do is bring in the wizards, hunters and other similar long-range warriors and wipe them off. The matter is simply that.'

The silence this time was a lot deeper and longer. Finally Emeth said, 'You know a lot about the portal. We need to know. I think you'll be staying with us for a long time.'

The priest smiled. It was unnerving to see one at a time like this. 'My name is Samaroh. And, to tell you the truth...I told you all I know so that I could join you.'


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Valkron sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the floor.

It was early morning in Geffen. The magical field here was so thick that it delayed the arrival of the sun's light, so the sun only appeared in the skies above the city about ten minutes after it had really risen. Mist still hung about the top of Geffen Tower while there was an occasional squawk as a bird flew into the shining tip.

It had been a long day yesterday, and today looked no better. The new addition to their party was strangely clever, he suspected, but not as clever as Emeth. He'd left the wizard to argue, and by midnight he'd come out wearing an oddly triumphant expression. But even though Emeth had won Samaroh had kept his cool with a certain and definite you-might-have-won-this-one-but-you-wait-till-I-get-a-grip-on-you attitude. It was what Emeth had said, anyway.

Samaroh. Hm. The name was also vaguely familiar to Valkron. He'd not met the priest until yesterday, either, but somehow the golden earring seemed to give him a clue. Someone had told him that a priest had got an earring. It was probably Samaroh.

Valkron also knew that he actually didn't listen to people most of the time. If someone had given up talking to you after two minutes the topic was entirely irrelevant and not worth listening to. But as a knight he always wanted to know what the other mercenaries had been up to, and he relied on an old friend to tell him. His friend knew him well, so someone who was mentioned to Valkron was always worth mentioning about.

He got up and went over to the window. The chaos that had broken out last night had lasted well into the morning. All that remained now of the stampede were dark stains on the flagstones, an occasional torn piece of cloth and soot where the torches had burned. It looked like the mercenaries weren't going to go back to the dungeon for a long time.

Valkron padded softly over to the door and opened it. There had been plenty of noise then, too. People were rushing up and down the stairs, either shouting or crying. He hadn't been bothered, though - it was probably because he'd been too tired to even hear anything else. Now the corridor too was deserted. He padded along to Emeth's door and knocked.

There were footsteps from behind the door, and then it opened to reveal a wizard with ruffled hair. 'Oh, it's you,' he said sleepily. 'Come on in. You're standing there without your armour. Must be freezing.'

Valkron entered the room. Emeth had only been in it for one night, but the room was starting to look like him - messy and drawn out.

'I just woke up,' said Emeth, stifling a yawn as he went to the window and pulled the curtains open. 'I forgot about the sun here, but in Geffen I always know when to get up.'

'It's your home, Emeth,' said Valkron, seating himself in a chair near the bed. The rumpled bedclothes on it appeared to say that its occupant had been a very messy sleeper.

'No, not really. More like a second home. I came from Prontera, originally.' The wizard disappeared behind a screen, on which his cloak had been draped over. There were splashing sounds. Valkron patiently waited.

Eventually he emerged, wiping his face. 'Ah, that feels a lot better,' he said, and sat down opposite Valkron. 'So why did you see me for? I thought you'd only come to me if you wanted to chop my head off or something like that.'

Valkron leaned forward. 'Have you ever heard of Samaroh?' he said. 'Or seen him?'

'No,' said Emeth flatly. 'I mean, if I had I'd be bloody well shouting it out now. You know me, Valkron.'

'Not much,' admitted the knight.

'I'll just say he's another odd character you don't come across any day. It's as if he's exchanging information for a place in his party. Do we look like we're desperate for someone like him with us?'

'I think we did,' said Valkron carefully, 'last night.'

'But we wanted someone to heal us, not someone to tell us stuff.' Emeth sighed. 'Oh, well, either way we still get a priest of our own. An odd one, with much interests in traditional medicine, but he's still a priest. Better than none.'

'That stuff he has actually works,' said the knight. 'The bruise on my back doesn't hurt anymore and it's not as large as it was yesterday. I checked this morning. And that cut on your head looks like it's almost gone.'

Emeth felt it. 'He used some green liquid,' he said. 'It stung quite a bit, but you're right.'

'Valkron leaned back. 'I wonder how he got to know so much about the portal,' he said, more to himself than to Emeth. 'He almost sounded like you.'

'Fluctuations in the magical field,' said Emeth quietly. 'He understood them. I guess it's time to drag out the answers from him today.'

* * *

It wasn't that difficult, as they found out. All they needed was one question.

'Am I right in saying that the portal is affecting everything on this world?' said Valkron.

Samaroh dropped one sugar cube into his tea. He appeared to be thinking very deeply, and he did so while he stirred. Then he put the spoon down, took off his cap and fanned the tea gently. After that he put it back on, took both cup and saucer and drank out of it with his eyes closed. Emeth looked agonised, but he said nothing.

Only when Samaroh had put it back down on the table did he speak. 'Yes, but in some ways indirectly and in others directly. The monsters are being affected directly, causing them to attack innocent people when previously all they preferred was to amble around in the forest and prey on other creatures. These creatures also become more powerful and more aggressive, thus making them a great danger to the human population of our world. The portal forces old magic from our world to keep it open, while sending in old magic from somewhere else. Old magic is poisonous to monsters and to some extent to humans, but there is hardly any of it left now. It remains in old cities and dungeons, which are remnants of our world's once violent history in its making, and this is what adds to the magical field in Rune-Midgard.'

Emeth opened his mouth, but the priest held up a hand. 'I've not finished,' he said smoothly. 'Because of this direct effect we are being indirectly affected as well. After all we are the ones being attacked and injured and killed. If this continues the old magic will spread to our cities and cause monsters to follow it there.'

'Why are they attracted to it?' said Valkron. Emeth had sat back and closed his eyes. It was apparent that he knew the answers.

'Old magic is a source of power to monsters and to us,' said Samaroh. 'It gives us the ability to cast spells, like Emeth there, and me. It enables you to be one with your sword, so that you can fight it. Oh, yes, it is responsible for the many qualities it has given us, but too much of a good thing can lead to disastrous results. Monsters like power, and not being gifted with rational thought like us they seek it out and use it. In the end the old magic claims their souls. However, I do believe that the magic is affecting some of us directly.'

'What do you mean by that?' said Emeth.

'Well, have you recently felt any pressure, or pain, or any sensation of something intruding our world?'

There was a pause, and then Valkron and Emeth straightened up and looked at Samaroh.

'You...experienced it?' said Emeth.

For the first time since they met him Samaroh looked worried. 'Yes,' he said. 'I am concerned that others don't feel it, however.'

'Others?'

The priest gestured around them. There were people walking about - after all, the three of them were at a cafe, with Valkron's peco tied outside it. 'They don't feel it,' he said. 'I was in Prontera when I experienced a splitting headache and something that felt like a giant hand pressing on my body. It was quite a few nights ago. When I got up people were staring at me as if I'd gone mad and someone even cared to ask so. I asked if he had felt such pain, and he said no. Plenty of other people have given me the same answer.'

'But why only us?' said Emeth. 'That's not exactly...fair.'

'That's what I intend to find out,' said Samaroh, looking down into his tea. 'It doesn't seem very relevant, but somehow if this affecting our world then I might as well just go and seek it.'

'Hold it,' said Valkron sharply. 'There's no point in going to look for the blasted portal by yourself, is there? Incidentally, Emeth, can you find the portal by using your magical awareness? You found Geffen by using your staff to sense out the wavelength, didn't you?'

'Um...my staff will explode on detecting old magic.'

'WHAT? But there's got to be old magic EVERYWHERE.'

'Only in trace amounts, Valkron. The portal's emitting a large amount of old magic, anyway.'

'Excuse me for interrupting, but may I ask something?'

They turned to see a blacksmith behind them, at the next table. He had long brown hair tied loosely behind, with a cream-coloured bandana around his forehead. There was an assassin with him.

'I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but it's rather important,' he said, to the startled mercenaries.

'Go ahead,' said Emeth.

'This experience you were talking about...well, I'd like to say that both of us,' he gestured at the silent assassin, 'have felt it as well.'

Emeth looked at Samaroh. 'Are you sure no one else has felt it?'

'We asked around,' said the assassin. His eyes were closed and his arms were folded across his chest. 'No one else felt it. We were in Morroc a few nights ago.'

The three of them exchanged looks.

'So it doesn't actually matter where we were,' said Emeth. 'Two below Geffen, one in Prontera, two in Morroc. I wonder who else felt it.'

'We'd like to find out about it too,' said the blacksmith. 'Do you mind if we join you?'

'This is more like research than a mercenary party,' said Valkron, burying his face into his hands. 'Yes. Whatever. Join in the fun. As long as we help each other out in tight circumstances--'

'Hang on,' said Emeth. 'He's an assassin, right? I thought assassins don't mix around with other people.'

'I'm different, you could say,' said the assassin. He was wearing a straw hat - the kind that farmers wore. Grey hair peeked out from it. He opened his eyes and nodded at Emeth, touching his forelock. 'I'm what you could call a [i friendly [i assassin. Please don't make fun of it. I am Khan, and my companion here is Amaru. He doesn't actually talk much.'

And that was it, thought Valkron half an hour later, as they headed out of Geffen. Compared with the other mercenaries his party seemed almost like a joke party. A wizard who treated everyone like a friend, a priest who radiated an aura of self-importance, an assassin who likes to be friendly and a silent blacksmith.

He sighed, and mounted his peco. There was nothing else he could do about it, but right now he wanted to go somewhere very specific, although he'd just visited the place some days back.

* * *

It was a short, simple journey. All they had to do was to walk east, so no one was complaining.

'It's odd that we haven't encountered any monster on our way,' said Emeth to Valkron, on the fifth and last night they were spending in the forest. 'It takes five days to walk from Geffen to Prontera, and here we are without delay.'

'Be thankful for it,' said Valkron shortly. He'd accidentally stepped into green pond earlier on, and was not in the mood for talking. Emeth sighed. They were both sitting on a fallen tree trunk.

'Yes, well, it's probably because something's wrong with the portal,' said Samaroh, from behind them. 'I hope it's permanent. I'm being constantly subjected to fluctuations in the old magic.'

Emeth half-turned. 'You _are_?' he said, looking over his shoulder at Samaroh. 'Are you some kind of detector for old magic or what?'

The priest gave him an irritable look. 'Sometimes,' he said, 'but I wish you wouldn't put it that way.'

The wizard sighed again and turned back. 'People.'

Above them the evening sky turned into black. Amaru threw the last stick he'd found in the forest and looked meaningfully at Emeth, who pointed his staff at the pile of firewood and muttered. A spark fell off the crystal and flared when it touched the wood.

The five of them watched the dancing shadows of the fire for a while. Then Emeth got up and stretched. 'I'm turning in,' he said. 'Don't make too much noise, please.'

'We haven't eaten yet,' said Samaroh, in some surprise.

'I don't have an appetite.' Emeth waved a vague hand over his shoulder. 'Count me out.'

'Hmm,' said Samaroh, and turned back to the fire.

There was a choke. Everyone looked up or turned to see Emeth falling to his knees. Valkron got up and knelt down beside the wizard, who was gripping his cloak around himself. 'Emeth, what's up?'

He could see that the wizard was shaking. Beads of sweat were dropping off the tip of his nose. His eyes were squeezed shut.

'Emeth--'

The wizard opened his eyes. Valkron nearly moved backwards in shock. Emeth's golden eyes were glowing.

'Get - away,' he gasped.

And then there was that hot, burning pain again. Valkron gave an involuntary yell of pain and clutched his head again. The other three had also fallen to their knees, although they were being affected differently. Khan had simply doubled over and had his arms around his stomach. Amaru lost his grip on the ground a moment later and writhed in pain. Samaroh was had put his hands over his ears and was shaking badly. Valkron became aware of the same insistent whining that he had heard the first time, growing louder and louder and setting his teeth on the edge. It was a very persistent sound and penetrated right through his brain. His mind was boiling.

The pressure came back. It was like what Samaroh had said - an invisible giant hand pressing everything out of them. Valkron was sure he heard his backbone crack. The tiny cool part of his mind prayed that it hadn't happened.

And then once again everything snapped back into place.

Valkron carefully removed his hands from his head. He looked at Emeth. The light in the wizard's eyes faded as he watched, and Emeth sagged. The knight inhaled deeply and turned around. The members of his party were groaning in various positions in the area.

There was a rustling sound from the bushes. Valkron's shaking hand gripped the hilt of his sword, and after three tries he got a grip on a tree. His vision was blurring badly, but he was a warrior and there was such a thing as going down fighting. He drew his sword.

Someone stumbled into the place from the bushes and grasped a tree before he could fall over. It was a hunter. He slid in and out of Valkron's sight.

'You - felt it - too - right?' he said, and collapsed.

Valkron, now shivering, lowered his sword. Another one who could feel the portal, he thought. How many more would be affected?

What would Rune-Midgard become?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

'No,' said Samaroh.

'What?' said Valkron, wiping sweat off his face with his palm.

'Are you sure you're a priest?' said Khan.

'Yes, I'm sure,' said Samaroh. He was attempting to be irritable, but since he was still shaking he just looked apprehensive. 'I don't have any relief for this kind of pain.'

'He's right. Stop bugging him,' said Emeth some way away, wiping his face with his cloak. 'It's old magic. We don't use it.'

'Why not?' said Khan.

'Because it'll kill us, that's why,' snapped Samaroh. He looked down at the fallen hunter and passed a hand over his face, whispering. A few minutes later the hunter opened his eyes rather weakly. 'Nice of you to wake up. It's still night time, but you might as well not be so vulnerable.'

The hunter raised a hand to his forehead. He had golden-brown hair tied up into a high ponytail, and the bluest eyes Valkron had ever seen. Amaru's eyes were blue, too, but they were a much darker, deeper colour. He could have been called handsome, but after what had happened everyone looked bad.

'You felt it, too,' he said, sitting up with some help from Samaroh. 'I heard all of you, before it - it hit me.'

'Yeah, well, we all share the same thing in common here,' said Valkron. He was on the way to recovery already, since he was a generally hardy person (being a knight had some advantages). 'What's your name, and how'd you get here?'

'Me? Um...I'm Nocturne. I got lost.' He grinned apologetically at Valkron's suddenly blank face. 'I thought my party was somewhere out here and somehow I got...stuck.'

'You're a hunter,' said Amaru, covering his cart. He too had a face as blank as Valkron's. 'How could you lose your way in a forest, of all places?'

'Time-space distortion,' said Emeth, still not looking at any of them. 'Like we saw back in the forest near Payon, Valkron. Everything looks the same, no matter where we walk. It must have happened to people who're walking about, so we didn't notice it.'

'Yeah, probably so.' Valkron turned back to Nocturne. 'Do you want to go back?' he said. 'We're heading to Prontera.'

'Sure, I'd be glad.' The hunter brushed away a few errant strands of hair from his eyes. 'Sorry to bother you, though.'

The knight ignored the last statement and went over to Emeth, who was staring resolutely at the ground. 'You all right?' he said in a low voice. 'You were the only one who didn't seem to be affected by any pain.'

'What? Oh - no, I'm fine.' Emeth said this somewhat unsteadily, though, so Valkron was not entirely sure if he could trust him or not. 'Just - well, I'm just still shocked. The old magic really does things to you.'

'Your eyes glowed. Was that it?'

'They did?' The wizard lifted a hand to his eyes. 'I didn't know that. No, something else. It was offering me power. I actually felt the old magic at the tips of my fingers. I could have used it! But...' He stared at his hand, and then put it back down. '...I'd rather stick to being ordinary and using the much tamer magic of today. I'm very attached to my life.'

Valkron couldn't find anything to say to this. Normally he would have, but seeing Emeth so shocked and distressed made him feel sorry for the wizard. 'You don't want extra power?' he asked.

'No. No way, no thanks. I'd rather go and throw myself down a scorpion pit.' Emeth looked at him. 'And what about you? You're becoming different.'

Valkron was startled by this observation. 'What do you mean?'

'A few days ago you didn't even like me being around, am I right?' said Emeth. 'We wizards can tell. Now you're actually offering help to someone you don't know anything about apart from his name.'

The knight gaped at him for a minute or so before saying, 'That's not becoming different. It depends on...whether I like it or not.'

Emeth gave him a knowing look, not unkindly. 'I'll keep it to myself. You don't have to hide things from me. There really isn't any point. I can tell how old you really are, you know.'

'Yes, by looking at my experience,' snapped Valkron. 'I know that, all right?'

He moved away to sit by himself. He felt very uncomfortable, and was aware of heat rising up his face. With a huff he leaned against a tree and folded his arms. What with the recent events, it didn't take very long for him to fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning found the little party standing at the Western Gate of Prontera. The place was filled with the usual people milling about. They didn't look concerned about anything at all. Valkron found himself wondering if they knew what was really happening out there.

'I say,' said Nocturne, going over to the side of the great arch that framed the gateway. 'Look at this.'

It was a poster. One look at it, and Valkron knew it was the King's declaration of the threat spreading through the world. But by the state of the parchment no one had even bothered to come along and take a look at it. It was easy to tell - Nocturne had to scrape off the crusted grime on it. It hadn't even been one proper week yet.

'Amazing,' said Samaroh, staring at the smudged parchment.

Emeth tapped a nearby monk on the shoulder. 'Excuse me,' he said politely, to the furious glare he received, 'do you know or have you heard anything recent about this?'

He pointed to the poster. The monk took a look. 'Load of balderdash. Nothing's happening. We're all perfectly fine.'

The six of them exchanged meaningful looks.

'It looks like nobody really gives a damn,' said Emeth, glancing at the splotchy declaration. 'It's probably because they don't know how the old magic feels like.'

'I don't think they give a damn anyway,' said Valkron, turning towards the gateway. 'No one does, these days. Will you hurry up? I've got important business to do here. We'll need to find all the information we can get about the portal.'

'For example?' said Khan politely.

'Where it is. So we can destroy it before it's too late.' Valkron glared at Emeth. 'I'm _sure_ our wizard can help out.'

'Well, come to think of it, I can do some research in the library,' said the wizard, taking a step back. Valkron's glare was like a torch - its beam hit you no matter where you went. The only way to at least lessen its severity was to back down. Emeth was certainly bright enough to understand this.

They made their way to the plaza and stood there. Eventually Valkron wordlessly signalled for all of them to walk a little way away, up north of the city. When they finally got out of the plaza and stopped at a place where only an occasional swordsman or knight would pass them, they inhaled as one man. Valkron highly doubted that Prontera Plaza had any more oxygen left.

'All right, we split up here,' he said, turning around. 'Emeth, get down to it. The rest of you spread out and--'

'Why, there you are, Nocturne,' said a highly feminine voice. It was probably out of shock from being interrupted so abruptly that made Valkron turn to see who it was. So did the others.

An alchemist stood behind them, looking half-annoyed, half-relieved. She had a cart behind her, a Lunatic at her feet and an axe over her shoulder. The party stepped back as one man at the sight of her.

'Oh, hi, Eni,' said Nocturne sheepishly.

The alchemist shook her head in what was clearly exasperation. She had long brown hair, also tied in a high ponytail like Nocturne's. The only difference was that hers came down to her waist, while his remained at the back of his neck. When she looked up again Valkron found himself looking into a pair of bright, clear violet eyes.

She was also wearing a hairband with bunny ears.

'Come on, you,' she said, striding up to Nocturne - ignoring the fact that he was in the centre of the party - and grabbed him by the wrist. 'Iruna's been looking for you all over Prontera. Fancy you bothering her like that! We've got to go Al de Baran today, remember? Those monsters up there are really bugging the residents, and when it's Lord So-and-So offering sixty thousand zeny we can't forgo it!'

The party gaped as they watched Nocturne apparently let the alchemist pull him away. The little cart swung around as she did, nearly hitting Emeth in the shins. The Lunatic washed its nose and began hopping after the alchemist.

'Um...excuse me - miss?' said Emeth.

The alchemist turned. 'Yes?'

'Is he...' He gestured vaguely. Female alchemists literally took the air away from a place after they'd been it, and the wizard looked as if he was in serious need of oxygen. Nevertheless, he managed anyway. '...one of your party?'

'Oh, yeah.' She looked at the hunter. 'A small party. We're not fit for the mercenary rivalry. There's one more member.' She paused and looked at the five of them. 'You guys look like you could counter anyone.'

Valkron covered his eyes with his hand. Emeth was evidently trying not to look at him.

'So, well...I'm amazed that, uh, he follows you like your pet.'

Samaroh turned and strolled down the street. The others began to look for places to hide.

'My...pet?' The alchemist glanced down at her Lunatic, which was washing its ears. 'Well, no, not exactly. He's my brother, see.'

Valkron's hand dropped away from his face. So did his jaw. Emeth was starting to look awkward.

'Your brother?' said Khan, who had not managed to find shelter for the time being.

'Yep,' she said happily, while Nocturne stood by the cart and waited with his head carefully turned away from them. 'Younger than me, mind you. A bit dreamy at times and somewhat weird, but he's serious when it gets to fighting. Or shooting, really.' She smiled cheerily at them. 'You found him last night?'

'It was more like he found us,' said Emeth. Valkron remembered himself in time and shut his mouth.

'Oh, really? Well, one way or another I've got to thank you for finding him. Who's your leader? He deserves it.' Much to their surprise she walked up to them and gave them a closer look. 'Hm, I can see who looks like a leader here, although he's tall.'

She walked straight towards Valkron, who paled within less than a second and tried to back off. Unfortunately he was right up against Amaru, who hadn't found shelter either and was ignoring everything around him.

She was walking closer. The knight hardly ever had anything to do with girls except beat them off when he rescued them, so this was unnerving. But what was even more unnerving was that she apparently assumed someone who was handsome and tall was by nature a leader, so she walked past Valkron and right in front of Emeth. She gave him a polite peck on the cheek, even if it meant she had to stand on tiptoe.

Emeth blinked. 'I'm not the leader,' he said. His voice and face were carefully blank.

'Oh, really?' said the alchemist in surprise. 'Then who is?'

Everyone pointed to Valkron, who made a sound like 'grrk'.

'Well, hey, not everyone gets a kiss from a girl.' He could have sworn she winked at him. Whatever it was anyway, he allowed himself to stand still, although his legs ached with the want of running away. But the little calm part of it said: Knights don't run from girls.

Damn himself.

They watched her walk off, swinging the axe behind her. She gave them a wave as she did. 'I'm Eni! See you another day!'

'Nice,' said Samaroh, a few minutes later.

'Eni! Wait up!'

If Eni's voice had been what you might have called girlish, this voice was _womanly_. It had a rich tone to it, like someone who just came down from the mountains. But it was also accompanied by a very loud jingling sound as of that made by armour clashing together, as well as ground-shaking thumps normally associated with pecos being ridden at full speed. The result of the combination that passed the party was someone who looked like she'd come down from the mountains wearing armour _and_ riding a peco at full speed. Both rider and bird hurtled past the stunned party and skidded to a halt ahead of a trail of sparks.

Eni turned to look. 'Iruna!' she said joyfully. 'I was wondering when you'd come!'

'Well, I was wondering when you'd come for me to say that you've got Nocturne,' said the rider, dismounting from the peco. Valkron shook himself awake and took a second look.

It was a crusader. A young woman with blue hair. She was (as all crusaders were) heavily armoured. Her Might Peco tossed its head and grunted. Valkron's own peco snorted and pawed the ground.

The crusader turned around. Once again the party took a step back as one man. Although her eyes were covered by a strip of cloth she seemed to radiate the feeling that she was looking right through it at them.

'Hm,' she said. 'Five men. Let's see...a knight, a wizard, a priest, an assassin and a blacksmith. Trying to get you to fight them, Eni?'

'Nah, they helped us find Nocturne,' said Eni happily, still unaware of what was actually going on. 'Helpful for a bunch of men, aren't they?'

The crusader smiled briefly, still facing them. 'I don't think they'd actually fight us, not with a knight as their leader.'

She knows, thought Valkron. Oh, damn.

The armoured woman sighed. 'Oh, well, time to go. Al de Baran it is.' She put one foot in the stirrup, ready to mount her peco again.

And then pain hit. Again.

* * *

Valkron staggered upright and tried to focus. Beside him Emeth was simply a pile of cloak, but his attention was on the three of them ahead of him.

'You can feel it, too,' he said somewhat weakly. He limped towards them.

'Oh, yeah,' said the crusader tiredly, leaning against the wall of a house beside the street. 'Get them all off the road, will you? They'll be trampled. Merchants, blacksmiths, alchemists, supernovices - they're running out of space in Lower Prontera. They'll be coming here soon.'

With help from his peco, Valkron got his fallen comrades to move to the side. The crusader had done the same with hers. The knight made his way to her, and then leaned his back against the wall. He slid down it to sit next to the crusader. Sweat was running down his face.

'I thought there weren't any more people like us,' he said breathlessly. 'I still can't quite grasp the fact the portal's magic is going that far.'

'Not sure about that,' said the crusader. She was clutching her shoulder. Valkron had seen her go down like that, before pain overtook his own mind. 'By the way, my name's Iruna. No need to call me madam, miss or dame, and I'm certainly not married.'

'Ah,' said the knight, still breathless. 'Valkron. I don't understand this.'

'Count me in,' said Iruna.

After a while they got up. The members of their party were stirring now, and attempting to get up. By the sound of it Nocturne was throwing up somewhere behind a nearby wall.

'Look at us,' said Iruna, turning her head slowly from side to side, as if looking at the area. 'I'm amazed people haven't started calling us loonies yet. I think it best to get everyone to a nearby inn, hm?' She faced Valkron.

To his amazement he found himself agreeing to the blank face framed with long blue hair. 'Why not? We've got nowhere to go.'

Iruna smiled disconcertingly. 'What a coincidence. So do we.'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Small note. Age is measured by experience. Of course, the more you have, the older you are.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The innkeeper stared at the group of eight that had come stumbling into the inn. He'd never had these many customers all at one go. The only people who seemed to be all right were a knight who had an expression that suggested disgruntledness at the world in general, and a crusader whose personal aura was overwhelming. She vaguely reminded him of one of those seven-foot women he'd heard about bearing six-foot spears and great longbows and warred like men. He gulped. It was only a legend, but in Rune-Midgard legends had a tendency to become true.

'May I...be of any service?' he said hesitantly.

'Do we look like we're here to mess you around?' replied the knight.

The innkeeper was taken aback. Years of the absence of war in his world had caused the entire population to mass-produce complacent, more-brawn-than-brain warriors. These people didn't behave like that sort. He was used to that sort.

'Umm...well...'

'Eight of your rooms, please, and no questions,' said the crusader. She had a rich voice that certainly hinted of a warrior-like woman, and the fact that there was a long, heavy sword at her side and a massive shield. The knight looked no weaker. He had a good long sword that had been used quite frequently. The innkeeper didn't want to know what had felt its blade.

'All right,' he said, pulling out a book carefully, 'but I'm not sure if I have any empty rooms, because with the rush of people coming into the inn--'

It happened too fast to be seen. When everything had calmed down, the innkeeper was looking along two feet of sharp metal into the steady green eyes of the knight.

'If you don't have any vacancies,' he said, 'I'll make sure you get some. I've known you for years, innkeeper, and although I don't know your name I _do_ know where you live and you always give me what I need. Do it. Now.'

'Now, now, Valkron,' said the crusader, in a cheerfulness that the innkeeper was coming to dread. 'You'll have him fainting and then where would we be?'

The luckless man said, 'Actually, I've got what you wanted. Just take the row of keys behind me. Feel free to pick any of them.' He gestured, with some difficulty, at the board of keys behind him.

As the little party made their way up the stairs Iruna asked, 'Incidentally, where does he live, Valkron?'

'Behind the counter.'

* * *

Valkron looked out of the window and down at the people milling about. He was thinking.

No one understood this threat. But how could it be a threat if no one cared about it? And incidentally, why did the eight of them get affected by the portal's old magic? Why did no one else get it?

Emeth was already up, he thought. That was good. The wizard had wordlessly gone out, and Valkron had watched him make his way towards the library, a place that was just another distant building from the window. No one else was stirring out.

The cool little voice said: Eni said her party was going to Al de Baran. Iruna had said otherwise. Why?

The knight pondered carefully a little longer, and then got up and reached for the door. He pulled it open to find Iruna with her fist half-raised. She lowered it in surprise.

'What are you doing here?' said Valkron, equally surprised.

'How did you know I was going to knock?' said Iruna, at exactly the same time.

They stared at each other, or in Iruna's case faced. Then they started speaking at the same time.

'I didn't know--'

'That was--'

They stopped again, this time clearly out of embarrassment.

Finally Valkron said, 'I didn't know you were going to knock, and frankly I didn't hear you. Do you have a reason for seeing me?'

Iruna looked startled. 'Do people need to have a reason to visit you?'

'Well, yes. In normal circumstances I see them, and I always have a reason.'

'Oh. Then I'd like to discuss over some things with you, since you appear to be,' she turned her head to face either side of her, as if she was looking down the corridor, 'the only one who knows what he's doing right now.'

Valkron sighed. 'Come in.' He stood aside as the crusader walked in with a faint clinking sound.

Once the door was closed Iruna turned to Valkron. 'I don't sense any other chair here.'

'It's under my cloak.' He pulled it off.

'Hm.' She appeared to be making a decision, before she raised her hands to the knot behind her head and untied it. Valkron watched it in shock and fascination as the strip of cloth fell away from her eyes. She blinked several times and rubbed an eye a little. 'Ah, that's better.'

'Hey, I thought you were blind!' he said. Iruna turned to look at him, frowning slightly. Hey eyes were clear brown.

'Nope, sorry. It's training.' She gathered her skirt and sat down primly. 'I take it off when I'm going to bed, talking to people about serious matters and seeing to things. Sit down, Valkron.'

Somewhere in his mind the little voice said: Ask her.

'I thought you were going to Al de Baran?' he said, sitting down. 'Eni said so. And then you suddenly tell me you've got nowhere to go.'

'It's something we made up,' said Iruna. 'I'm the leader of our party, and I keep receiving challenges from other mercenary parties. Apparently they think a woman as a crusader doesn't work out.'

'Women generally choose to become priestesses or wiz-- witches or huntresses.'

'In other words, tame jobs.' Iruna adjusted her skirt. 'So we just make excuses to skip the challenges. I prefer negotiation to fighting.'

'Ah. This is the real world, you know.'

'Since this is the real world we should all be trying to find out what's going on,' said the crusader. 'By general observation I've seen monsters try to attack innocent passers-by. Being struck by pain is not an option either. I say we go and look for the threat and end it.'

'I thought you said you preferred not to fight?'

'When it comes to a point where negotiation is, uh, ineffective I fight.' The crusader gave Valkron a meaningful look. 'As you said, this is the real world.'

For some reason everyone's spotting me out for who I am, thought Valkron, staring at her. But somehow I like it. It's sparking my brain. I feel more alive than I have ever had.

Aloud, he said, 'We don't know what the threat is, apart from the fact that it's a portal opening up in our world and it's using a lot of old magic. Samaroh and Emeth have come up with the theories that explain it, but it's something like a jigsaw puzzle without the important, significant pieces.'

'Then it's up to us to search out those pieces,' said Iruna, looking steadily into Valkron's eyes.

'Number one, we don't know where the portal is. Number two,' Valkron tried not to burst out with this statement, 'I'm not mad.'

'No, we aren't,' said Iruna softly. 'But we _are_ warriors of the world.'

Valkron was shocked, but he rallied magnificently. 'I'm still not going to endanger people's lives, Iruna,' he said. 'I've spent an almost entire life being alone. I'm an orphan, brought up by the Swordsman Academy, the Prontera Chivalry and the ways of the mercenary. I've wandered everywhere alone. May I draw your attention to the fact that this is the first time I've got such a big party? Five men, including me! I don't even know how to handle it!'

'You're doing pretty well, for a leader who's leading for the first time,' said the crusader, still gazing steadily at Valkron. 'Your party's not five men anymore. It's six men and two women.'

Valkron could have thrown himself out of the window now.

'WHAT?'

'I've decided to join you. When I make a decision, Nocturne and Eni usually follow.' She shook her head. 'They're lost wanderers in the plains of life. I have to guide them. The shepherdess. Sometimes I wish I wasn't.'

Valkron put a hand to his forehead, but he said nothing.

'Listen, Valkron. I'm a bit like you, all right? I didn't have a happy childhood either, okay. I was brought up by people I didn't even trust. But somehow I've learnt that the only way to solve a problem is face it, all right? This threat thing is a problem that's not only affecting us - sooner or later it's going to affect the world. Nobody cares about it, because they don't know how it feels like to have the deepest part of your very soul torn open.'

'Exactly,' muttered Valkron, still not looking up.

'No, that's not it! Can't you see? No one cares! It was probably the portal's doing!' Iruna spread her arms. 'We don't know if it's on purpose or not, but I have a feeling we have something to do with it! You're not just going to sit there and mumble to your party members about the threat not worth investigating!'

'She's right,' said a muffled voice from outside the door.

'Emeth, if you eavesdrop like that one more time I swear I will shove my sword where the sun doesn't shine,' said Valkron, not moving. 'Get in. Next time you knock.'

The wizard sheepishly entered the room and closed the door behind him. 'I got chased out,' he said.

'Of the library?' said Iruna. 'But you're a wizard!'

'Err, that's what I said to the librarian. But right now there's a bunch of magicians taking up the space. Educational trip.' Emeth looked disgusted. 'I never had this sort of thing when I was a magician.'

'So you didn't get anything?' said the crusader, sounding slightly crestfallen.

'Well, there's an advantage of being a wizard.' Emeth rummaged around inside his cloak. 'I carry this bag around my waist, but no one usually sees it because of my cloak...'

'Hah,' said Valkron.

'...ah, here it is.' He pulled a heavy book and handed it to Iruna, who took it and glanced at the cover.

'"The Magical Background of Rune-Midgard and Related Magical Items",' she said. 'Wow. You read this?'

'Plenty of times.'

She opened it, and a cloud of dust dissipated in front of her nose. Emeth fanned his cloak at it helpfully, as she coughed.

'It looks difficult to read,' she said, after the dust had cleared away. 'The writing's badly smudged. Oh, well, it's been a long time since I curled up with a good book to read.' She looked up at the two men. 'What? Reading's not confined to wizards and priests, is it?'

'Are we going to sit here and wait for you to finish reading?' said Valkron irritably.

'I found out something else,' said Emeth, drawing out a piece of paper from his left glove. 'Had to scribble it down, on account that I was only able to get that book before the librarian arrived to kick me out.' He handed to it Valkron.

The knight read it. He'd seen wizards write before, but their handwriting had looked more like spiky grass than anything else. Emeth's was long and elegant, like someone who knew what he was writing and respected it.

'It disrupts the magical balance of the world?' he said, looking up at Emeth.

'Yep.'

'But everything depends on the magical balance! If it was disturbed, that'll mean...everything goes wrong.'

'Yep.'

'And it says here,' Valkron consulted the piece of paper again, 'what was once human would belong to the beasts.'

'Yep.'

'Is there a high probability of that succeeding? We can't have a load of animals telling us what to do!'

'Actually, it's more like we become their slaves.' Iruna looked up at Emeth. 'Is that right?'

'Yep.'

'And we become more or less like animals and the animals become like us?'

'Yep.'

'Hold it right there. How'd you know?' said Valkron suspiciously.

'It says here, right in this book. Listen: "_Yt Yse Muche Knowne that oure Worlde Once be Affected by a Great Plague, Whereforth the Might Beastes took Over the Worlde ande lefte Men to become like Beastes. Thys Plague, Saide to be a Portale from a Worlde of Another Sort, Ate Away the Mindes of Men ande gave Beastes the Powere to Think ande Acte like Men"._' Iruna looked up. 'Ew. I can imagine that sort of thing happening.'

'That is NOT going to happen again!'

Emeth leapt back a remarkable two feet to avoid Valkron's hand. The knight had stood up with rage amazingly fast. 'There's going to be no such possibility of that happening,' he said. 'That sounds too much!'

'It's magic going too far,' said Emeth.

'Exactly! And I'm going to put a stop to i--'

The building suddenly shook. Emeth and Valkron nearly lost their footing as things around them clattered, trembled or fell off.

Outside, cracks began to appear in the cobblestones of the streets. They spready, creating some sort of spiderweb. People screamed and tripped over one another and their own feet to get away from the heaving ground. Steam issued from some of the cracks. All over the city, mortar crumbled and bricks broke. The trees creaked dangerously.

Out in the forest monsters of all kinds fled past the city in a roaring stampede. Nothing was trying to eat anything else. They dashed to wherever they thought was safe, united by the goal to get away from whatever it was shaking up the world.

In the remote regions of Mjollnir, the range of mountains that signified the start of the most dangerous lands of Rune-Midgard, ice cracked and fell. There were several deep rumbles, and great drifts of snow began to slide off the mountains. Monsters raced out of the mountains into the dark terrain before the mountains, where they would be safe from the avalanches now starting up everywhere.

Below the ground dungeons once spanning thousands of feet deep below shook. The ground collapsed, blocking passages and crushing anything that happened to stand in the way of the falling rocks. Pillars cracked and toppled, torches guttered violently and went out, the floors heaved upwards like some behemoth below trying to rid itself of the load on its back.

Gradually everything quietened down.

Valkron looked back at the piece of paper. His rage was subsiding. It had been replaced by fear.

'"When the portal is complete, the tearing apart of the world will begin."'

'Yep.' Emeth had gone white, which was a sickly complexion for a wizard like him, but he managed.

'You idiot, you should have written this first.'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've been reading too many Discworld novels. The influence isn't exactly there, but it's more of a hint.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Now it is time for the other side to be seen.

Take the eye of the mind away from the little group in the inn, through the cracked streets of Prontera, world power and sprawling city of Rune-Midgard, the Royal City of the King. Let it speed onwards until it reaches one of the gateways, and crosses out over the forests into beyond. From here, the forest stretches on like a thick green blanket over the lands. Far off are the dark terrains that signal the approach of the cold, remote, hostile mountains.

Look another direction and see a vast expanse of water. Not far off there is a suggestion of stone - another city built along the coastline. Ahead of the eye is a white building, rising high above the trees like a small mountain. Let the eye speed past this building and its city, pass over the green forests, pass over the animals settling back into their routines. Let it whiz through the untamed wilderness of the place.

This is a small part of the world, after all.

The eye comes to rest on a great cluster of grey-green buildings in the distance. It is another city, although in its current state no one could say it has been lived in. However, it was once a city of greatness. Thousands of years ago it was _the_ city to go to. It was greater than Prontera, in its golden age. Prontera was only a city that was royal in name. It was vast, yes, but this city was once even more vast. It had once commanded an empire. It was a city of knowledge, of power, of magic, and of warriors. Architects had great spreads of drawings of every single detail.

It was a city where things happened.

But it was the heart of a cruel, cold empire. And, like most cruel, cold empires that had ever reigned in Rune-Midgard, this empire was ended with a sword stab to the heart.

Now the wind whistles through the forgotten buildings. Whisperings of leaves and the long-forgotten dead echo in the empty, dark streets. As the skies above darken, the atmosphere grew heavier and deeper.

Novices and inexperienced defenders of the New World are _forbidden by the law _from entering its grounds. It is a hanging offence.

The eye moves swiftly along the streets, into a large castle at one side of the city. It goes through dusty corridors, musty decorations, portraits of emperors, their names ripped out from the history books. It goes down flights of steps, into what looks like a dark cellar. But in the cellar, where a door shouldn't be, there was a door.

The door opens. It stays open for a while, and then closes. Like someone going through it.

The eye follows. There are disembodied footsteps, muffled by the grime of the stone steps, into a round room. One side of this room has crumbled. There are still chunks of rocks below.

But the room has an excellent view. It is far above what looks like one of the biggest mazes ever built. Torches burn away, set up by someone no one can see. The maze was once built for prisoners-of-war, and was said to be the greatest plaything of the emperors. It was where the prisoners were released into the mazes, and allowed to find their way out. If anyone got out the emperors would reward them with eternal freedom.

None ever survived the maze.

Now the disembodied footsteps stopped at the edge of the crumbled side. There was silence, before a voice - if you could call it a voice - spoke. It hissed and snarled at the same time, angry and vengeful. It was like cold, evil poison slithering down your spine to its target spot.

_A world where freedom is given to the undeserving Men_, it hissed. _Do you think it is not fair?_

One who is listening very closely would hear a whispering sound arising from the vast maze beyond. Its walls stretched so far back at the other end was cloaked with darkness, but anyone could start imagining things beyond it. Things that were far more dreadful than nightmares, and, worse, were real.

_No. We do not think it is fair._ The sound bounced off the walls. _Think of it. Once this city is raised again, we will choose a new emperor to lead the world. He will become like you, but more intelligent - the King of beasts._

The whispering increased briefly, as if whatever unseen things in the maze were agreeing.

_Think of it! A new world will be born from the ashes of the old! The dead shall awaken, and the living shall fall! We will RULE!_

The whispering grew into a roar - a roar that man had heard from the very beginning of time. It was not just the roar of beasts. It was the roar of what used to be, of the dead, the spirits, and the most fearsome of monsters.

_Arise, my warriors! Declare war on this pathetic world! Take it over! No one knows what is being done! We will take them by surpise, overthrow them, consume their weak minds and souls and destroy them! Send every single one of them into the dark, cold oblivion, like they have sent us to our end! ARISE!_

The roar grew until the maze shook and fragments of stone fell off the pillars, walls and, somewhere in the dark, the ceiling. There was a rumble, before shadows poured out from the open ends of the maze and over the walls, rushing in their mad bid for blood. The ground shook beneath their trampling hooves, feet, paws and whatever else they had to walk and run with.

As the sound begin to fade and the shadows lessened, there was a scraping sound as the disembodied footsteps turned on their heels.

And now...the choosing of the new emperor, it thought, if invisible things could think. He will be a great emperor. He will rule with an iron grip over the world. Forever. The links to choose from look promising. They were what was left of the great heritage of the residents of the city. All of them were strong, but there were ways of breaking a person's mind into submission.

One of them, yes. Then the course of history will be changed forever. And the emperors would be _avenged_.

* * *

'Well, well, well,' said Valkron. 'What a bloody _shower_.'

'What?'

'Who're you calling a bloody shower?'

'I know what he means,' said Iruna, who had rewrapped the cloth around her eyes. 'He means you look like crap. I mean, look at you. The portal must have been very strong this time, eh?'

Several of them winced at the sarcasm in her voice.

'It did hurt,' said Nocturne, rubbing his head.

The innkeeper had kindly provided a large common room for them. It was obvious everyone was taking this for granted, because they had thrown themselves into the various chairs around the fireplace and were now slumped in them. Only Valkron, Iruna and Emeth stood looking at the mess of people. There was no other word for it.

'Now, look here,' said Valkron, flourishing Emeth's piece of paper. 'According to research done by our fellow wizard, the portal is complete. Anything from other worlds and dimensions can come through it. Now that the old magic has been fully awakened it's going to start ripping our world apart. Do you want that?'

There was a mumble.

Valkron cupped his hands around his mouth. 'I said, DO YOU WANT THAT?'

'No,' they chorused.

The knight sighed and drew his sword. 'This really is too drastic,' he said, as the blade flared and tongues of flame licked the glowing metal. 'Let me repeat--'

'NO!' everyone yelled.

'Was that a no to our world being ripped up, or to this?' said Valkron, waving the sword.

'Uh...both,' said Samaroh, a minute later.

'Good.' Valkron sheathed the sword. 'We've got to find out where this portal is, and destroy it before it's got the chance to destroy us. So we'll have to get ready for a long hard slog.'

'It's a mercenary's life, Valkron,' said Khan. He'd taken off his straw hat, and looked quite old under all that grey hair. 'What were you expecting?'

'I was expecting a lot more life from you,' snapped the knight. 'All of you have to take this seriously. We've read you the portions you need to know from the book, I've told you what we have to do and tomorrow we'll be setting out to do this properly. No more hunting for people who are affected like us! Anyway, eight is the maximum for a mercenary party.' Valkron glanced at Iruna, but she seemed fine with what he said. 'And we'll have to pull our weight like the other parties, at least. No one likes to be in a disgraced party.'

'Referring to you?' said Samaroh.

'I'm referring to all of you!'

'Are we expected to, you know, go around in dungeons like everyone else is doing?' said Eni.

'That's a dumb activity, I told you that already,' said Iruna. 'No one's getting anywhere.'

'But we've got such a big party now!'

'It still doesn't mean they're going to protect us.'

'Why not? They're men!'

'They're not the kind of men you think about, Eni,' sighed Iruna.

'Then why are we going with them? They're not nice! I don't think they're nice!'

'Who's nice?' snapped Iruna, so suddenly that Valkron jumped. 'No one's nice these days! It isn't the age of chivalry out there anymore, Eni! And how could you say that? One minute you were thanking these _men_ for looking after Nocturne, and the next you're saying they're not good enough?'

'Like the dog that bites the hand that feeds it,' said Emeth, in a low voice. Valkron hoped he was the only one who heard it.

'Nocturne, do you think they're all right?' said Eni desperately, turning to her brother for backup. 'I mean, these days there's hardly any nice people around! Where else could there be nice people that we could trust? Up on the mountains? Being hermits in Juno? Living in Ant's Hell?'

'All the trustworthy people in the world are in this room,' said Nocturne.

An embarrassed silence descended over the group. For quite a while there was no sound except for the ticking of the tiny clock on the mantelpiece over the blackened, empty hearth.

Valkron coughed. 'Right,' he said. 'Thank you, Nocturne. Anyone who wants to leave and not be involved in this can leave now. I swear I won't come after you,' he added.

They perked up.

'Really?'

'We can leave?'

'You're letting us go free?'

'Valkron!' hissed Iruna, which was quite hard to do because he had no Ss in his name.

'Yes.' Valkron ignored Iruna. It was not the time.

There was a pause, in which no one moved.

'Once you come with us, you can't go back,' he warned.

No one moved.

'All right, all settled?' Valkron turned around. 'Now you can go to bed.'

'Um...'

Valkron turned back.

It was Nocturne. He had raised a hand, although rather hesitantly. There were some things that you were careful about once you had got to know Valkron.

'Yes?'

'What's the name of our party?'

Valkron opened his mouth, and then shut it again. He hadn't actually thought of it. He thought it didn't matter. Plenty of people were often satisfied with 'The Party' when they joined him, and anyway they never stayed long enough to make it last.

But these people sitting in front of him didn't look as if they would accept such a name. They're young, he reminded himself. Or maybe a few of them, anyway. They want something that sticks in people's heads. They want to be remembered.

They were all watching him. That was the problem. He couldn't think when so many faces were at him. His mind was blank, all except for the cool part of him, which was rather weak. It offered him a name that he'd only heard of when he was younger, and a swordsman - the name of a person he'd never met except for a few years of his early life, a person whose appearance he couldn't even remember.

'Raulus,' he said.

Everyone blinked.

'That's it?' said Eni. 'No meaning? No symbol? No foreign words, like the others?'

'We are NOT one of the others,' said Iruna.

'It's got a meaning, but I'd rather not talk about it,' mumbled Valkron. Only Emeth and Iruna heard it. The wizard, with great presence of mind, stepped forward and said, 'All right, we need to get up early tomorrow! Come on, let's all turn in!'

With a scraping of chairs and general muttering the group dispersed to their rooms. Valkron was left standing quietly in the centre of the room, still staring somewhere above the mantelpiece. Emeth, who knew him, moved off quickly, but Iruna, who didn't, went up to him and said softly, 'Let's go.'

The wizard watched in horror. Any moment now, and he was going to snap about not needing help. Iruna expected that to, somehow - the knight seemed to give you a feeling that he would immediately reject all help.

Instead, Valkron turned away. Iruna put a hand on his shoulder.

'Your bedroom's this way,' she said. She signalled to Emeth, who came forward rather reluctantly. 'It's all right,' she whispered. 'He's...reminiscing, I think.'

'People reminisce like this?' said Emeth, in quiet horror and fascination.

'Um...well, maybe not the sort of normal people, but still,' said the crusader, looking apologetic insofar as anyone could tell. 'Come on, help him.'

Emeth reached out and tapped Valkron on the shoulder. The knight stirred. 'Hm?'

'Turning-in time,' said the wizard.

'Now?' Either Valkron seemed to have grown smaller, or the room had become larger. It was dark, so Emeth couldn't tell.

'Yep.'

After a minute or so Valkron made his way out of the common room. Emeth and Iruna shared a look.

'Looks like this is going to be one hell of a party,' said the wizard.

'You couldn't have put it better, Emeth,' said the crusader.

And thus the Raulus Party went to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Early next morning Emeth and Valkron stood outside the inn and pored over a newly-purchased map, talking to each other in low voices. It was so early that there was still mist drifting about in the city and no one except for the occasional lost pet poring or lunatic were in the streets. The innkeeper was watching them warily through the window.

Iruna opened the door and looked out at them half an hour later. They looked at her and nodded briefly before returning to the map. She emerged from the doorway and went over to them.

'Why the secretive behaviour?' she said.

'Sh. We don't to wake them,' Emeth jerked a thumb at the inn windows above them, 'before we've got everything prepared.'

'Why not?'

'I don't want odd suggestions being thrown at me as to where we go next,' said Valkron in a disgruntled, low tone. 'I'd like to keep it flat simple.'

'Pretty much the same opinion,' agreed Emeth.

Iruna pulled up her blindfold until her eyes were visible, and then craned her neck to see what they were talking about. 'So where are we going, then? Eni wants to go back to Al de Baran to get the manuals for her potion-making.'

'We can do that some other time,' replied Valkron. 'I suggest we head south to Alberta. Maybe we could find something on Turtle Island.'

'Turtle General lives there,' warned Emeth.

'If this group can't whack his a-- rear to kingdom come I'm forgoing this,' the knight snapped back. 'Half of these people are very experienced, can't you tell that?'

'Wait, wait, Valkron,' said Iruna patiently. 'Emeth's got a point. Although we're experienced enough we'd still rather take the beast on with a guild. Besides, saying that we could find something in Turtle Island is pretty much like saying we might as well look in Byalan Island while we're at it. Nobody wants to go to either place. Don't forget - the portal sends dungeon monsters mad.'

Valkron stared at her for a little too long. Then he said, 'Fine. We'll stick to Alberta.'

'What about Payon?' said someone behind Iruna. They turned to see Samaroh leaning on the door frame.

'Everyone's awake?' said Emeth.

'Nah, just me and Amaru.' The priest got off the door frame and walked towards them. 'He says he wants a lie-in, so you won't be seeing him here. So, what about Payon?'

'We've already been there,' said Valkron.

'It won't hurt to look again,' said the wizard, checking the map. 'Besides, both places are like neighbours. We could have a quick pop in, what say?'

Valkron gave him a look before he said, 'More or less by the looks of it we'll have to search every city and place we know. That includes Jawaii, Kunlun, Amatsu, Umbala and Louyang. Maybe we could have a look into Juno - after all, the sages there could probably help us out with what we want to know. Am I right, Emeth?'

'To be truthful I don't really know anything about Juno,' said the wizard apologetically. 'But then again I can't disagree with you either. Juno's known for its research and magic. We could probably find a lot of things there.'

The knight pulled the map out from the wizard's unresisting fingers and folded it up. 'Then that's settled. We'll go to all the places except for the dungeons.'

'You'll have tell the others that,' said Iruna, pulling down her blindfold.

* * *

There was a silence after Valkron had finished talking that afternoon. Everyone was gazing at him, scattered everywhere throughout the common room. He stared back. He'd never done this before - people who had been with him were solely independent and did not need to be told where to go. Besides, he was getting uncomfortable with the eyes on him.

Finally he said, 'What are you all looking at me for?'

Samaroh looked around at the room and then said, 'I think we were all waiting to see if you were going to say any more.'

'And why is that?' said Valkron a little too sharply.

'Well, given the nature of a person like you, Valkron, we were expecting something more ambitious and challenging,' replied the priest nonchalantly, standing up and smoothing out the creases in his robes. 'You seem to be pretty tame today.'

'If that's what you think then I would like to inform you that I am, and this is definite, not suicidal. I repeat, I am not suicidal.' Valkron rolled up the map he was holding. 'I am a speed-based knight, not some kind of super invincible all great and omnipotent warrior that people assume me to be. It doesn't take a lot of brains to realise that, you know.'

'And so that's where we're going?' said Eni, in a strangled voice.

'I don't think there's any doubt on that,' said Emeth, who was standing respectfully behind Valkron. 'Even if Valkron isn't suicidal he's firm with his decisions and he's obviously made up his mind. There won't be any point convincing him not to go to the places he mentioned.'

As Valkron gave him a look, Nocturne got off the chair he had been perched on. 'If that's settled then we should go,' he said. He looked around. 'What? It's not like we've got a choice, right?'

Iruna shook her head, but she was smiling. 'Oh, we do have a choice, Nocturne. It's either back out or stay. Unfortunately we're the only people who can detect the power of the portal, and so I think we're automatically elligible for the mission. Am I right, Valkron?'

The knight nodded silently.

'Any objections?' said Emeth, looking around. 'No? Yes?'

Khan and Amaru shared a look, before the assassin raised a hand. 'I've got a question.'

'Yes, what is it?' said Valkron, before Emeth could answer.

'How can we exactly pinpoint the location of the portal by detecting it?' Khan lowered his hand. 'It's all very well by saying that the closer we get to the portal the more intense our fits get, but then we would be in too much pain to take our bearings before we suffer.'

Valkron jerked a thumb at Emeth. 'He seems to be escaping it. Although his staff will explode on detecting strong old magic he won't.'

'Valkron!' snapped Emeth in annoyance.

'Ah, I see,' said Khan. 'So he's going to watch us while he tries to find it out.'

'Valkron has his ways of finding out, Khan,' snapped Nocturne, so suddenly that the assassin jumped back. 'It's none of our business to ask!'

As Khan backed off, the knight sighed. 'So, are we going or not?'

'Valkron?'

'Yes, Emeth?'

'I think--'

And then it hit again.

* * *

Valkron opened his eyes to find Samaroh fanning him with his cap. When he did so the priest turned to look over his shoulder and say, 'He's awake.'

There were a murmur of voices. Valkron shook his head, wincing as his head throbbed badly. A clinking sound indicated Iruna had come over.

'You all right, Valkron?' she said. 'You took the longest to regain consciousness.'

'I think so,' he said, massaging his head gingerly. 'Maybe this isn't the right time for it. I was completely unprepared.'

'For some odd reason Emeth does seem to know when it's coming,' she said, holding a hand out to the knight. He took it gratefully and let her pull him up to his feet. 'But something's wrong with him. Look.'

Valkron looked in the direction of her hand. Emeth was staring wide-eyed at the opposite end of the room, curled up in a corner. He was motionless and pallid. A drop of sweat rolled down his face.

While the others helped each other up, Valkron went over to the silent wizard and placed a hand on his shoulder. Emeth did not seem to feel anything. The knight bent down until his face was at the same level as Emeth's and said quietly, 'Emeth?'

There was no response. Valkron exhaled and then, taking the wizard by the shoulders, shook him gently. This time Emeth seemed to come back from wherever he was and look up at the knight. Valkron looked at him and felt sorry for him immediately.

'You okay in there, mate?' he said.

Emeth ran a distracted hand through his hair. 'I...well, no,' he said, so quietly that Valkron had to lean forward to hear him. 'The portal seems to be very ambitious. Apparently something's trying to get to use me. It keeps offering me power beyond anything I've ever known.'

'And you don't want to accept it?' said the knight.

'If I did I'd end up killing up all of you, and probably the rest of the world and myself as well.' Emeth sighed. 'This old magic isn't lenient on people, you know. It's more like a living thing than a force similar to life. It uses you like a tool and always looks for victims. The more lives it takes the stronger it grows.' He uncurled and stretched out his long legs. 'It's like you said, Valkron.'

'What did I say this time?'

'It's my world. It's threatening my home.' Emeth gave him a wan smile. 'We humans are selfish, aren't we? But sometimes it's for the good of the people around us.'

Valkron stared at him for a very long time. Eventually he said, 'You know, that was what I always thought, too.'

'You and me both, then.' Emeth got up, slightly unsteadily. Valkron grabbed his arm as he did so. 'I guess we've got to get going, hm?'

'You know where it is?'

'I felt it coming. I think I have a notion as to where its source is, but it'll be better if we go outside. Besides, we all need some fresh air,' he looked around at the party, 'by the looks of it.'

* * *

Emeth was right. Once they had got out they felt better. Valkron could feel the life seeping back into him. Nocturne stretched carelessly, and Eni started talking to her rabbit. The noise and activity level upped drastically compared to what it was in the room.

Valkron's peco gave a soft squawk of affection as he approached it. He put a hand on its beak and rubbed it for a while, before he went to rummage around in the pack at the peco's side and get a piece of monster feed. He gave it to the bird and watched it eat happily. Iruna's Might peco snorted and pawed the ground as the crusader went to talk to it.

'Funny how some animals can be comforting at times like this,' she remarked, rubbing the Might peco's beak while it made soft _kroo_ sounds in contentment.

'You're not wrong there,' said Valkron, scratching his peco under its chin. It responded by rubbing its head on him and making _kraw_ sounds in joy. He managed to stop it a few minutes later and gave it a reproachful tap on the beak. It squawked in protest but subsided anyway.

'It loves you,' said Iruna, sounding amused.

'Oh, keep quiet,' said Valkron grumpily, perching the saddle on the bird's back. It waited patiently while he tightened the girth belt and fitted the reins. He looked back at the crusader, who was still facing him as if she was watching his every move.

'Well? Aren't you going to mount?'

'Doesn't someone have to tell the innkeeper we're leaving?'

'I already did, last night.' Valkron fitted his foot into the stirrup and hoisted himself up, swinging his leg over the peco's back. 'He was no less happy to hear about it.'

'I'm not surprised, Valkron. You deal with people in a very detached way, do you?'

Valkron paused in gathering the reins. 'What do you mean?'

'You try not to get too close to strangers so that if you lose them or if they leave you, you don't feel any pain.' Iruna mounted her Peco. 'It might not be too easy to spot it out, but being sightless has some advantages. You tend to listen to how people behave by the way they talk and act.'

After a while the knight said, 'You're right. But don't tell anyone. I mean it.'

'I won't, Valkron. Your secret is safe with me. I'm not the kind to spill secrets.' Iruna made a clicking sound and her peco strode off. Valkron gazed after her and only moved when Emeth waved a hand in front of his eyes. He came back to his senses, glared at the wizard and rode off so suddenly that the rest of the party were left clueless for a few minutes or so.

They headed out of Prontera through the North Gate. Here Emeth got on to the peco behind Valkron and said, 'We'll check St. Abbey Monastery first. Samaroh, if you don't mind, I think you know how to go there.'

'Yeah, well, I'm not the one with a peco,' said the priest. 'But I'll go along with Iruna and you all follow her.'

'What are you doing behind me?' whispered Valkron to the wizard.

'I'm looking out for potential monsters and the wavelength of magic that comes with the pain. Don't mind me.'

Valkron fervently wished that Emeth would get off, but he could see the wizard's point. After all, the wizard was the tallest in the group.

For a few hours they travelled north, the quietness of the forest only disturbed by the chirping of rockers and the songs of the birds. From time to time a poring - or one of its family - would bounce past them, and a creamy would flutter by. Apart from this activity there seemed to be no other monsters roaming around, but it didn't stop Nocturne from keeping an eye out with his forest-trained senses.

Iruna rode at the front of the little procession, with Samaroh occasionally pointing out the direction for her. Valkron followed closely behind. The others kept close the Peco's tail, which was probably the largest thing that they could not afford to miss. There was very little conversation, if any, and no one said a thing to Valkron. There were some things you got to know about him once you joined him.

Finally Samaroh said, 'Stop here, Iruna. There's normally a guard here. It's custom to inform them of any arrivals, especially mercenary parties.'

The crusader duly stopped her peco and he hopped off. Valkron came to a stop, while Emeth watched the distant mountains. The priest set off at a run and disappeared into the trees.

They waited there for a while before there was a shout from the direction in which Samaroh had run. He appeared a few seconds later, slightly out of breath and deathly pale.

'What's wrong?' said Iruna, as he drew level with them.

'I - oh, in Odin's name...' He slowed down and came to a stop and tried to catch his breath. When he could finally speak, his voice was close to horror.

'The monastery's been attacked,' he said. 'By what, I don't know, but it looks like something big.'

'Did it leave behind tracks?' asked Nocturne.

'Not tracks. A long trail of blood heading north, though. Like it was dragging a large number of bodies.'

As several members of the party retched, Valkron leaned out and said, 'Casualties?'

'All dead as far as the eye can see.'

'Damage to the monastery?' said Emeth.

'Extensive. Very. Now, can someone do something before I throw up?'

'Wait, don't do it here, we haven't had our breakfast yet,' said the wizard hurriedly. 'Do it somewhere in the bushes and join us later. Valkron, go ahead.'

'Whatever for?'

'I think I know what it was. It's left a strong magical trail behind. We won't be following it, though - we'll see if there are any survivors and try to see what we can do for the dead.'

'Where's the trail heading for?' said Iruna. The others were listening intently.

Emeth looked grim. 'Mjollnir.'


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Valkron rode into the gates of St. Abbey first. Iruna followed a second later, with Samaroh trying not to look at the carnage around him. Emeth's jaw was set and he did not respond to the masses of decomposing flesh strewn around the paving stones of the once-clean monastery. The others stayed outside, clearly not wishing to enter.

Valkron's peco snorted and tossed its head. The knight leaned forward and stroked the side of its head, making shushing noises. 'Keep your head, boy. I know it stinks but we're all putting up with it.'

They rode into the courtyard that was the heart of the monastery. Iruna held her hand to her nose, while Samaroh kept his eyes closed. Valkron felt sickened, but the rampage was nothing compared to the Top Ten Worse Battle Scenes he'd ever witnessed, and he was a knight. He had honour to keep.

'Stop here,' said Emeth.

'What?'

'I said stop here.'

Valkron pulled on the reins. The peco halted with a nervous grunt and pawed the ground as the wizard slid off onto a paving stone that was at least cleaner than most of its neighbours. He surveyed the silent, blood-splattered buildings before he said quietly, 'I wish we had a sage.'

'Why?' said Iruna, who sounded like she was having a bad head cold.

'He could cast Deluge for us and clean this mess up so that we can clear up the bodies.' Emeth held his gloved hand to his nose. 'Eurgh. It stinks of blood and old magic. Something very powerful ripped through this place regardless of the people here.'

'Mind if I dismount?' said Valkron.

'Nope. Just look where you're going to stand.'

The knight got off carefully and joined Emeth. The mess was no better from this point of view. Bodies lay strewn everywhere, alongside broken maces and knuckles of all kinds. The priests, acolytes and monks who had been here had been powerless to stop whatever mad thing that had raged through.

Emeth bent down momentarily and picked up a charred, indistinct card. He sniffed it before examining it. 'That's odd.'

'What is?'

'This is a wizard's spell.' He caught Valkron's suddenly blank look. 'Every wizard has a distinct way of casting their own spells. Some wizards may need very little magic to cast a massive spell, while others may need a great amount before their spell is ready. This one doesn't seem to need much, but his spell seems to indicate maliciousness.' Emeth looked at both sides of the card and then let it flutter down to the stained floor. 'And it reeks.'

'What doesn't, in this bloodbath?' said Valkron, looking around. 'Iruna, are you all right? I do know your sense of smell is better than ours. You don't have to stay here if you don't feel too good.'

'Thanks for your concern, but no, I'm not going.' Iruna dismounted as well and joined them, walking around the corpses.

Emeth sighed. 'You don't understand, do you? No magic reeks.'

It took quite a while for Valkron to realise this. While the wizard glared at him, he thought carefully.

'So that means it's not any kind of magic?' he said tentatively.

'He means that there is another kind of magic in this world,' said Samaroh from the Might peco. 'It's dark magic, am I right?'

Emeth made an annoyed 'tch!' and gave the knight one last glare before he said, 'Yep.'

Valkron turned back to Emeth. 'And what does that mean, exactly? No, don't give me that look, I haven't had a magical education and you know it.'

'The portal - or whoever created it - is offering power to many people.' Emeth sounded disgruntled - at what, Valkron was not sure. 'Some reject it, some accept it. It's all done on a subconscious level, so they don't know they're actually doing it. It has something to with...the desire for power. I think.'

'Hang on, I thought _we_ were the only ones who could feel the portal.'

'Feel, yes. Hear, no.'

For some time Valkron stared at the wizard. Finally he said, 'Okay, let me get this straight. Are you saying that the creator of the portal has a voice?'

'Yes.'

'So it speaks to people who have a strong desire for power at a subconscious level, yes? Those with a strong will say no but they don't know they said no, right? And those who really do want power will automatically accept it, right?'

'You know, for someone without a magical education you can figure out magic-related matters pretty well,' said Emeth.

'It's called having brains,' said the knight dismissively. 'So you've been hearing the voice, haven't you?'

'Pretty much, yeah.'

Valkron looked around the monastery again. 'I'll be damned if people are going around doing this just because they have extra power. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we're naturally...vulnerable to dark magic. Are we?'

'Well, the reason for the pain is because of the sudden fluctuations in the wavelength of the magical field,' said Emeth, his eyes glazing over as if reading an internal script. 'We're used to the normal one but we aren't adapted to old, dark or large amounts of magic. Somehow it seems that the reason why we are the ones who feel it is because we're naturally opposed to the magic that doesn't fit us, in terms of magical vulnerability.'

Valkron gave him a look. 'You study too much. Let's get going. Our only choice is to go to Al de Baran.'

'What? And follow whatever's left that horrible bloody trail?' said Samaroh in a panicking voice from the Might peco.

'We don't have a choice in that, do we?' said Valkron.

Iruna placed a hand on her cheek. 'No, I don't think so.'

'Then we'll go. Come on, Emeth. Why are you giving me that odd look for?'

You could be a little more grateful to someone who knows a lot here,' grumbled the wizard, as he mounted the peco.

* * *

Everyone else was glad to get out of the monastery gates and be quite far by nightfall. Valkron too was secretly glad, but he didn't show it. Somehow something had been niggling at his brain and he was getting too preoccupied with it to think about anything else.

They set up camp in a small clearing and arranged themselves in a circle. Eni stayed away from the men, but Iruna was contented to stay with them, even helping out over the food Amaru had in his cart. She had taken off her blindfold again.

Valkron sat and watched, as Khan discussed with Nocturne on how to make meat taste better. This was going to be his first night with people he didn't know, out in the forest.

'So we pour honey over the meat? Isn't that a little wasteful?'

'No, it isn't. Amaru, hand me that pot of honey you got from--'

'If you think I'm going to hand it over you're wrong,' said the blacksmith. He had been silent for so long that Valkron couldn't place his voice at first. 'Here. Try this instead.'

Several objects flew through the air. The hunter and the assassin were caught unawares, but Nocturne reacted fast. He quickly caught about five. Khan was nearly hit, but quick timing and a little shifting was all it needed.

'Apples?' said Nocturne wonderingly.

Amaru calmly got up and wrapped a piece of meat around an apple. He pushed a sharp stick through it and held it out. Khan took it from him and held it over the fire. In a few minutes it was giving off an appetizing smell.

Valkron watched the blacksmith as he sat down by his cart again. Something wasn't right about him, he decided. Amaru kept silent all the time, unless he was spoken to. His blue eyes seemed to hold contempt for everything around him, yet he showed neither anger nor fear. Either he was that way, or he was hiding something.

The knight yawned. The roasting meat was making him hungry. He'd have to eat before he turned in for the night.

The party sat around the fire and ate quietly. Eni sat some way away in her brother's flickering shadow, while Iruna relaxed beside Valkron. Emeth was watching the surroundings, his tall figure silhouetted by the fire. There was nothing to talk about - nothing worth talking about at this stage, anyway.

Eventually Valkron made his way to a nearby tree and made himself comfortable in between its roots. Everyone else cleared up and moved to some place else to sleep, although Nocturne had chosen to lie by the fire. Emeth would be watching over for now. There was nothing anybody could do. Was there? He didn't think so.

Valkron wasn't even aware he had drifted off, so it was quite rude when Emeth shook him awake. The knight glared at the wizard and opened his mouth, but to his shock Emeth clapped a hand over his mouth and put a finger to his lips. He then lifted his hand and pulled Valkron to his feet.

'What's going on?' said Valkron in a low voice.

'Sh.' Emeth led him over to a gap in the bushes around the clearing and knelt down, motioning Valkron to do the same. The knight did it, albeit a little puzzledly.

'Look beyond those trees.'

Valkron squinted, and then realised he was looking at a dark clump of figures running around. Some of them were carrying torches; others, from the shapes of their shadows, were wielding weapons of all sorts. They seemed to be moving towards the south.

'Monsters?' whispered Valkron.

'No. People under the influence of the portal.' Emeth adjusted himself a little. 'They probably don't know what they're doing, the poor fellows. Tomorrow they'll be back in their beds without a single clue as to what happened in the night. And then they find out there's been a massacre somewhere, and the problem is that someone saw them.'

'Then we should stop them,' said Valkron, getting up, but Emeth shoved him back down.

'Are you an idiot? They're probably twice as strong as we are, what with the portal's magic influencing them,' said the wizard.

'Would the same thing have happened in the monastery?'

'Can't rule it out.'

Valkron looked around. 'We'd better get up early tomorrow so that no one coming around here happens to see us and then immediately thinks we're the perpetrators or something. I'm going back to sleep. Emeth, if you think you've had enough go and get someone else to watch. Khan, maybe, or Nocturne.'

'He sleeps like a kid,' said Emeth, but let Valkron return to his spot.

As the knight settled back down he couldn't help wondering if any of his party would become like those people.

* * *

While they headed for the wilder regions of the north, two things happened. The first occurred when a runner sprinted past the Raulus party at such a speed that he did not see where he was going. Iruna and Valkron were, as usual, leading the party. Although Emeth saw what was about to happen, the others did not. There was general collision and then everyone halted in their tracks to stare at the newcomer, who was a supernovice.

Valkron leaned down and grabbed him by the collar before setting him to his feet. 'Hello there,' he said calmly. 'What's your hurry?'

The supernovice dusted himself distractedly. 'What? Oh, just some bad news we've just received.'

'Of what nature are they?'

'Seems that a small village has been completely razed to the ground.' The boy seemed to be checking if he was in one piece. No one was surprised. Colliding with a trained Pronteran Chivalry peco was like hitting a sack of potatoes with your bare hand. 'Not sure who the culprits are, but we've received witnesses' accounts of the villagers from the closest village. Which is odd, really.'

'Why so?' asked Nocturne, pushing Samaroh's staff out of his face.

'Because both villages were on good terms.' The supernovice looked up at them. 'Very good terms, mind you. It looks more like an unprovoked attack. Now, can I go? I've got to deliver the news to the Prontera Court by midday.'

Valkron absentmindedly waved him off. As he disappeared the knight turned back and gave Emeth a meaningful look.

'I hope none of you become like that,' he said.

'What do you mean?' said Eni in indignation. 'You mean killing innocents for absolutely no reason?'

'I mean turning on others because you desire for power,' said Valkron, resuming his position in front of the line. The alchemist turned her glare onto Emeth, who hastily shrugged and backed off wordlessly. The others, seeing that they were not going to get any further explanations about the situation, resumed walking.

By midday everyone was hungry. Amaru, who seemed to have a bottomless cart, gave out food silently. They ate with little conversation, and then quickly moved on.

After a while, Nocturne casually strode up to Valkron's Peco and walked side by side for a while.

'What is it?' said the knight.

'We're being followed. Not people.'

Valkron muttered a bad word under his breath. 'Tell Emeth.'

The hunter fell behind. Iruna seemed to turn her head towards Valkron, but he gave no sign of any activity and gazed steadily at the forest ahead of him. The only thing that hinted he could feel the impending danger was his fingers tightening their grip on the hilt of his sword.

It was only a matter of time before there was a bloodcurdling shriek from behind them. They turned to see a wraith heading vengefully towards them, the gaping mouth on its stomach hanging open with strings of saliva dangling from the yellowed teeth in anticipation. Valkron rolled his eyes and turned his peco around.

Iruna got off and ran forward, drawing her massive sword. When she was barely three feet away from it she slammed the blade of the sword into the ground. A massive white cross materialised in the air above her and dropped like a stone. The wraith screamed in pain as the holy magic hit it. At the same time she winced, but she held her ground.

Samaroh charged forward and aimed his staff at the monster. Light flashed, before the creature was flung backwards onto a tree. Emeth sent fire bolts at it, while Eni, not wanting to be left out, threw a potion that exploded on it.

All this while, Valkron had been dismounting from the peco. He strode towards the creature, ignoring the attacking around him. The wraith sensed him coming for it and threw itself forward, angry and injured. The knight continued to stride forward calmly, expressionless and purposeful. Khan shouted his name, but he did not turn back.

Monster and man finally reached each other. The wraith stretched out its rotting arms and charged. Valkron drew his sword. As the thing pounced on him he swiftly stepped to one side and plunged the sword right up to the hilt into the gaping mouth.

The wraith struggled, but it was too late. The sword burst into fire. At the same time Valkron shoved the sword deeper in. There was a strangled death rattle and a last shriek, before the wraith exploded into nothing.

The knight lifted his sword and looked at the glowing blade momentarily, before he turned on his heel and strode back to his patiently waiting Peco. Everyone else was staring at him, some with their mouths open.

He mounted the bird and looked back. 'What are you all looking at me for?'

* * *

That night Emeth confronted him.

'What was the meaning of that?' the wizard demanded.

'Of what?' said Valkron, wiping his sword with an oiled rag.

'Don't play silly buggers with me. No one would ever dare walk up to a wraith and plunge a sword into its mouth.'

'That's the vulnerable spot, Emeth. Catch it there and you're done. No further trouble.' Valkron rolled up the rag and stuffed it back in the bag hanging at the peco's side. 'I learned it while I was in Glast Heim.'

'Soloing?' asked Emeth suspiciously.

The knight looked up at him. 'Now how'd you know that?'

'After a while I think I know how you think.'

Valkron chuckled to himself, much to the wizard's surprise. 'I was soloing Jakk then.'

Emeth stared at the knight. 'So you actually do know a lot, don't you?'

'Been there, done that, came back, done that twice...but never bought the shirt. Never, mind you.' Valkron sheathed his sword and turned to face Emeth. 'So? What's wrong with it? Doesn't every experienced warrior know that trick?'

'Uh...no?' said Emeth. 'Do keep in mind I'm just as old as you.'

Valkron shrugged and turned to walk off. Emeth watched him, and then as the knight was about to reach where the others had set up camp, said softly, 'You know more than I thought you knew. You're stronger than you let on, aren't you? Why, Valkron? Why do you hide it?'

Valkron halted in his tracks and half-turned. In the light of the rising moon, the shadows on his face were crisp and mysterious. His deep green eyes gave Emeth a look that the wizard knew he would never forget.

'Because that's who I am, Emeth,' he said. 'It pays to advertise.'


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Valkron could have sworn that whoever was behind the portal hated every one of the party. They had barely woken when magic - and pain - swept over them again. For about twenty minutes they had to rest, while Emeth had to be shaken to his senses again. Somehow this was not turning out well.

'It seems to be coming from somewhere in the north,' said the wizard tiredly. 'Unfortunately Mjollnir has its own high magic, and basically I could be telling you that a novice has just as much magic as a sage if someone cast a spell here.'

'Meaning?'

'The wavelength of magic scrambles everything up.' Emeth heaved a sigh. Valkron felt his hair ruffle. 'Come to think of it, it's probably scrambling my brain up too. I'm not thinking straight.'

Samaroh came over and put a hand on his shoulder. It was probably meant as a friendly, brotherly gesture, but because Emeth was much taller it looked more like the priest was stopping him from walking. 'Calm down. A lost head isn't much worth in battle. Here, this might help.'

White light burst forth from his hand. Emeth closed his eyes and seemed to relax. The party, including Valkron, watched in silence.

When the light had dissipated Emeth opened his eyes. 'Thanks, Samaroh,' he said, massaging his shoulder. 'I feel better. I know who to come to if I feel like this again.'

'I should start charging you three zeny for every time I do this,' replied Samaroh, but he had an amused grin on his face.

'Aw, come on, your spells are worth more than jellopy.'

Valkron mounted his peco. 'Are you finished? Or do you want to talk till the cows come home? Let's move it, we've still got Al de Baran to go to and we haven't got all day.'

The little procession made its way towards the north again, without any significant event occuring.

By evening they had reached the famous City of Canals. It reached towards the horizon before them while the sun set to their left. They stopped to admire it at the gates.

'Ah, my home,' said Eni wistfully.

'I thought you were from Alberta,' said Khan, with some surprise.

'Nah, we came from here,' said Nocturne, brushing stray strands of hair away from his face. He caught sight of Khan's expression. 'Yeah, I know. Northerners going all the way south to become warriors. I've seen that look before.'

'Wasn't it a bother?' said Samaroh.

'Nope. We're orphans. Nobody to go home to.'

Iruna, who had turned her face up thoughtfully at the city, said, 'I wonder what would happen to the people in this city if the portal's effects were to ever take place.'

There was a very apprehensive silence, before Emeth said, 'I wish you hadn't said that.'

Valkron sighed in exasperation. 'Well, she said it. Now let's get going before it actually happens. Don't make me get off my peco to get you moving.'

'But you can just go ahead,' said Eni, frowning.

The knight rolled his eyes. 'Do you notice that we are standing at the gates and the fact that _all of you are standing in front of me in my way_? Move it!'

With much grumbling the party moved onward again, into the heart of the city.

Valkron dismounted from his peco only when they had reached one of the gates leading to the great Clock Tower. Like Geffen Tower the Clock Tower was home to a variety of monsters, most of which were considered to be quite harmless when left alone. The Clock Tower Keeper was the only thing most people feared, but it rarely, if ever, ventured forth from its shelter.

Valkron bundled the reins up tightly in one hand and looked around.

'Eni, would you be so kind as to point us the way to the nearest inn?' he said. 'More or less since this is your city of origin I think you should know it much better than I do.'

The alchemist gave him a look, but she seemed mollified by his statement. 'Oh, well, there's always the Endless Time tavern. Best inn in Al de Baran. Come on, I'll lead you there.'

'I like the Endless Time,' said Nocturne dreamily, as they began following her.

'That's because the staff always like you,' remarked Eni. 'I'm not exactly sure why they do, but I guess it's something about you that strikes a chord with them. Will you move it, all of you?'

'And just now you were the one blocking Valkron's way,' muttered Samaroh, but no one probably heard him.

The Endless Time tavern was a large two-storey stone building. Valkron turned to look at the sign hanging over the door as they entered and raised his eyebrows. The picture was an hourglass with sand continually flowing through it.

Inside it was as if they had entered the house of a rich person with a good sense of interior design. It looked very homely with the red wooden tables with their red and white checkered tablecloths, cinnamon fragrance and warm lamps hanging artfully here and there. Simple tapestries hung artfully here and there; according to Eni they had been woven by the tavern owner's wife.

The bartender did not give them a second look. In fact, no one did. There were plenty of people either swigging ale or discussing matters, so it was quite noisy. Valkron made his way to the bar and leaned over it towards the bartender.

'You the innkeeper here?' he said.

'Yeah. Looking for rooms?'

The knight indicated the party behind him. 'What does it look like to you?'

In some ways the bartender was a lot cleverer than the innkeeper in Prontera. He stepped aside to show three pairs of keys dangling from a vast key board. 'We're kind of full right now, with mercenary parties like yours. I recommend that you take two rooms for the six men and the last one for the ladies. How's it sound to you?'

Valkron gave it some thought. 'All right,' he said. 'How much for a night?'

'Depends. But mercenary parties are dropping by like rain so we're giving cheap rates to them. Let's see...' The bartender turned around and consulted a list next to the key board. 'Hm, well, your party's eight members, so that has...ten zeny per head, no extra charges. Would you like breakfast with it?'

'You're good with business,' conceded Valkron. 'Might as well throw it in, we're only here for a few nights anyway. I'll take it.'

The bartender unhooked the keys and put them in Valkron's gloved hand. 'We actually had the rooms booked, but then the leader of the party threatened our manager, so he decided to take them off the list. Hope you don't mind.'

'Doesn't matter to me,' said the knight. 'Whatever happens to other parties isn't my business.' He left the bar and headed straight for the staircase, motioning the party to follow him. They did so without any fuss.

Valkron ended up sharing a room with Emeth and Samaroh. Amaru, Nocturne and Khan were two doors down, and Iruna and Eni resided in a room just opposite theirs.

'Really?' said Emeth, taking off his gloves. 'These rooms were reserved for another party?'

'Yeah.' Valkron hung his cloak on the back of a chair and took off his visor and

accessories. 'But apparently something went wrong and the leader had a go at the manager.'

'People these days,' said Samaroh, hooking his cap on the corner of a wooden screen that hid the washstand from view. 'They like thinking big of themselves, but somehow out there they don't know there's someone bigger than them.'

Valkron and Emeth exchanged looks. Samaroh could sound like a self-conceited teacher at times, but then given his profession no one liked to comment. It was something anyone would expect of a priest.

'Well put,' said Emeth at last, taking off his headphones. 'But I think we like leaving them to their fates, really. They learn better that way.'

'No one ever said the priests were involved in showing them the way of the light and all that.'

'Wait a moment, I though that was your job,' said Valkron, looking up from folding his cloak. 'The Prontera Parish, am I right? That's where you're from.'

'Sorry, never went for the recruitment,' replied the priest. He had taken off his robes, so more or less he was naked from the waist up. 'What's the look for? You never knew there was a programme about it? Division of acolytes?'

'I knew about it,' said Emeth, draping his cloak over the head of his bed. 'We have a similar programme in Geffen. Who goes to Prontera, who stays in Geffen. I was part of the batch that went to Prontera.'

'Well, _I_ was part of the batch who got told to stay in St. Abbey's.' The priest sat down onto the single bed. There were three beds in the room, but since it was so large it could them all and still have some space for a fourth occupant. 'And now it's been emptied.'

'Hadn't we better tell someone about the monastery?' asked Emeth, taking his leaf out of his mouth and glancing at it.

'They'll find out sooner or later,' answered Valkron, emerging from behind the screen where he had been washing his face. 'I don't want fingers pointing at us saying that we did the killing and then went to report it in feigned innocence. No way am I going to talk about it.'

'Suits you,' said Samaroh. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm turning in.'

Emeth watched the priest swing his legs onto the bed and get in between the blankets.

Valkron meanwhile pulled back his and sat down, running a hand through his white hair.

'Felt anything?' he said, after a while.

'Nope.' Emeth didn't look upset. 'We've lost it here. It's definitely not in this city. I think we should move on to Juno.'

'We'll go when the others are ready. Besides, I thought Iruna said Eni wanted her potion manuals.' Valkron stifled a yawn. 'Here's her chance, I guess.'

'Yeah, well, I guess we're all ready for a break.' Emeth lay down on his bed and stretched out his legs. The knight noticed that the wizard's legs were so long they nearly went over the end of the bed. 'What time for the morning, Valkron?'

'Six,' said the knight promptly, lying down as well. 'No lie-ins.'

'Aw, man.'

'Don't you plead with me.' Valkron sat up, reached over for the oil lamp next to his bed and blew it out. Emeth did the same with the one near his.

* * *

Much to Valkron's surprise everyone was up by or earlier than six. Apparently they seemed to be able to time themselves.

'Well, we do have a lot to do,' said Iruna. She was not wearing her blindfold. 'So, are we going down for our morning meal?'

'That's a definite yes,' answered Emeth, in the absence of Valkron's reply. The knight was too busy straightening his gauntlets to answer. 'Ladies first.'

They breakfasted quietly in the cafeteria downstairs. In the early morning there was absolutely no one save for a few odd characters muttering to themselves or just staring despondently at the forest of tankards in front of them. Sooner or later one of them was bound to erupt like a dormant volcano. This message was silently observed by the Raulus party, and that was the reason why they got out fairly quickly.

The blanket of early morning mist lay thickly over the city. Valkron made his way to his peco and fed him, while Iruna did the same. The others waited patiently for them until they returned, and then only did they set off towards the Alchemists' Guild.

The place was notorious for its frequent explosions that often resulted the door being sent across the street in mild cases. Severe cases were marked by, not always but pretty often, a soot-covered panicking alchemist running through the street shouting, 'It's gonna blow! She's gonna blow us to kingdom come!' The latter didn't happen, but it was enough to clear the street within seconds.

Valkron felt relieved when he saw no one in the hall. Alchemists, Eni explained, preferred lie-ins on sleepy mornings like this. And since Al de Baran was always open to sleepy mornings, the knight surmised they had a lot of rest.

The manuals were duly got at a counter fronted by a sleepy-looking apprentice alchemist with tousled hair. Apparently he was too sleepy to realise Eni was an alchemist, so she had to spend some time arguing with him.

'I tell you, I AM an alchemist, and I need those manuals!'

'But you don't look like one,' said the boy muzzily.

'Well, of course you can't see me! Your eyes aren't even half open!' Eni proceeded to give him a cuff on the head. 'Come on, Albrecht! Don't make me pour acid on you!'

'All right, all right, cool it. I'll get them.'

Half an hour later the party left the building, Eni grumbling under her breath. Valkron was still puzzling over alchemist behaviour when someone stepped in front of them.

'Hallo there, Valkron, long time no see.'


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Valkron looked up. His face bore no change in expression.

'Hello, Sagna,' he said dully.

The rest of the Raulus party stared. The knight standing opposite them had chestnut brown hair and was wearing a simple bone helmet. A flower protruded cheekily from his lips, as if daring the watchers to defy him.

'Nice to see you around here,' he said, flicking a few locks of hair away from his eyes. 'I thought this was our guild territory.'

The party behind him sniggered. Emeth took note of the members - a rogue, a huntress and a monk - and took a step back, away from Valkron.

The white-haired knight thought for a while. 'Ah, yes. The Odyssey, am I right?'

'Damn right you are,' said the rogue.

'So?' Valkron indicated his party behind him. 'We're not a guild, and we're passing through anyway.'

'Well, I see that you've taken our reserved rooms,' said the knight called Sagna. 'Think you were strong enough to do it?'

'The manager cancelled your bookings, Sagna,' said Valkron, adjusting his visor. 'So we were given them. Not our fault. Go and yell at the Endless Time manager, not us.'

'Like I'd believe you.' Sagna had a triumphant look on his face. 'Which gives me good reason to fight with you.'

'Ah. Again?' A hint of a smile appeared on Valkron's face. 'I still remember the last time you tried to do me in.'

Sagna looked sour for a moment, and then let the triumphant sneer return to his face. 'Well, this time I'm taking you on, one on one. No help from your party members there.'

'None from yours either.' Valkron patted the hilt of his sword. 'If I see your rogue missing our priest will deal with it. Right, Samaroh?'

Emeth elbowed the priest, who came to his senses. 'Definitely.'

'Good.' Valkron looked around. People were starting to gather around them. Not far away someone shouted, 'There's going to be a fight!'

'Hmm, I think we should move.' Valkron looked back at Sagna. 'Too many people here. Someone might get hurt.'

'What, and not show your face to the crowd when you lose?' said Sagna. 'Afraid of losing your face, Valkron? Or afraid of losing your reputation?'

Valkron shrugged. 'Neither. I never really cared for both anyway. Stand back,' he added to the party behind him. 'And Emeth, I think you should look out for the rogue. Samaroh, try to shield the passers-by, will you? I don't want to get into legal trouble.'

'Uh...if you say so,' said the priest, looking doubtful.

Valkron drew his sword. As one man the crowd drew back at the sight of his notched, plain two-handed sword. It looked too dull to be impressive, but the sun had chosen to emerge from the mist. The light ran along the blade. The people could [ihear[/i the sharpness of the sword.

Sagna looked back at his party. The monk threw him a long, heavy spear and he caught it neatly. 'I wonder,' he said, aiming the spear at Valkron, 'why you chose to use the sword when you were trained with the spear.'

'I feel happier with a sword,' said Valkron, smiling slightly. Sagna scowled and charged straight on, spearhead gleaming. The Raulus party backed off in shock and Eni's hands flew up to her mouth as Valkron whirled aside, the spearhead barely missing his face by inches.

Sagna quickly jerked back his spear and held it at the ready. He began to circle around Valkron, who watched him without moving, poised to strike at any moment. Emeth had an apprehensive look on his face.

Without any apparent stage in between Sagna attacked again. This time Valkron hit the spear away with a clang and turned to face the younger knight. For a few moments both of them contemplated each other, and then suddenly moved forward. There was a series of clangs accompanied with flashes of light before they two broke away and circled like wolves.

It seemed that the spectators were holding their breath. The two knights evidently felt it. Sagna lunged forward. Valkron jerked back to avoid the spearhead and responded to the move by hitting it away again. The younger knight grinned and swung it back.

Valkron ducked and threw himself to the side. Before Sagna realised anything he had grabbed the haft of the spear and yanked it so hard the brown-haired knight was pulled towards him. Laughter filled the air as Valkron gave him a smart rap with the flat of his blade on his helmet before releasing the spear.

Sagna growled audibly and charged. Valkron stepped neatly aside and stuck out his foot as Sagna went past. Once again people laughed, including the Raulus party. It was either that or watch in nervousness.

The younger knight got to his feet, turned and charged. Valkron threw his sword into the air and turned around just as the spear went past his back. He hooked his elbows around the haft, caught his sword and jerked the spear out of Sagna's hands. There was a cheer.

'What kind of skill is this, Sagna?' said Valkron, taking the spear in one hand and his sword in the other. 'I thought every knight was trained to wield the spear with skill. And I can't believe you thought you could defeat me with such poor accuracy. Things will have come to a pretty pass when I can't spot that out. Some knight you are.'

He threw the spear on the ground at Sagna's feet and turned to go, but the younger knight was evidently too enraged to let this pass. In one single movement he scooped up the spear and charged again. Valkron sighed, turned, caught the spear and tugged it towards him. Sagna came along with it as well. When he was close enough Valkron looked momentarily at his sword and then gave Sagna a ringing tap with the flat on his helmet. This time the younger knight yelped in pain.

'Forget it, Sagna.' Valkron released his grip on the spear. 'That's three times I held your spear, and one wasn't even with my hands. Here's a tip - go back to the Pronteran Chivalry and for once pay attention to your teachers. Maybe you'll understand the fundamentals of spear holding before you get to the fighting bit.'

The crowd erupted into cheers as he casually sauntered back to his party. Eni had her mouth open in disbelief, but the others joined the crowd in cheering him. Even Iruna gave him a good-natured slap on the back, which he answered with a choke. Being hit by a crusader was like getting hit by a plank of teak.

'Nice moves there, Valkron,' said Khan, as they made their way out of the cheering crowd. 'I'm impressed. But the part where you threw your sword into the air - maybe _that_ was a bit too stylish for the likes of you.'

'Yeah, well, I used to do it a lot when I was training as a swordsman,' said the knight dismissively.

'Whatever for?'

'As a speed-based knight you tend towards accuracy and getting things right.' Valkron made his way towards the Clock Tower. 'My life, really. Now, are we going back to the tavern or are we going to look for the portal?'

'It's not here,' said Emeth from behind.

'How'd you know?'

'If I knew, I'd tell you as soon as possible.' Emeth jerked his head at Samaroh. 'He's not saying anything either.'

'I don't usually incline towards being a detector for old magic, but the way you say it sounds like I do,' said the priest.

Nocturne said, 'That's because you sound like you always do it.'

Samaroh spun around and opened his mouth to tell the hunter off. Instead he received a look that dared him to say anything more. Very slowly the priest closed his mouth. It was clear Nocturne had found one of Samaroh's weaknesses. Everyone else felt elated - it was rare to see Samaroh get told off.

Valkron put a hand to his forehead. 'Back to the Endless Time then. And Nocturne, Samaroh, I don't want any more arguments from now onwards unless it's necessary. Got it? Good. Let's go.'

The Raulus party left Al de Baran the next morning. There was nothing for them there. If they had happened to look back, they would have seen Sagna simmering at them from the gates. But they didn't, so no one knew.

* * *

After two days of journeying Valkron was forced to stop. The terrain was far too harsh, and the monsters were progressively getting more aggressive as they went inside. They halted their party near a large crevice in the rocks of the mountainside they were passing and set up camp.

While Valkron surveyed their surroundings atop a small mound Nocturne and Amaru went to fetch what firewood could be found, while Eni and Iruna went to get water from a nearby stream. Samaroh and Khan stayed on the lookout.

Emeth noticed Valkron standing alone and evidently in deep thought. He went over to the mound and stood next to it. Even on the mound Valkron was only up to his jaw.

'Got a second plan in mind?' he said from the corner of his mouth.

'In the works.'

The wizard sighed. 'You know, maybe we shouldn't have started north first. There are so many interesting cities in the south and we had to go through this godforsaken land.'

'Most likely we won't be doing so,' said Valkron, staring straight ahead.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean we won't be travelling through the terrain.' The knight shrugged vaguely as the wizard continued to stare at him. 'For once I'll have to ask Samaroh to teleport us there. I dislike talking to him, but this is the only way I can see.'

'That's what a party's for,' said Emeth, turning his head to watch Valkron as the knight stepped off the mound. 'Though I agree with you on Samaroh. He seems so...obnoxious.'

'Obnoxious probably isn't half of it.' Valkron unbuckled his sword girdle and leaned it against a rock. 'But we don't have a choice. The world is full of people like Samaroh, and sooner or later you can't avoid contact with one.'

'Yeah, but this is sooner.'

Khan, who was arriving at the camp, did not show any indication that he had heard anything except for an amused look on his face, insofar as anyone could tell with the mask covering half of it. Samaroh entered a little later, nose buried in a book.

It did not take long for the others to return. Nocturne dropped his bundle of potential firewood and watched in satisfaction as Amaru emptied his cart of more. Emeth looked annoyed at the mess, but he flicked a finger at the scattered lot and they flew together into a decent pile. He snapped his fingers and the pile burst into flames.

At the same time Iruna and Eni came back with water skins full and dripping. Eni was generally in charge of the water, since Amaru was already laden with the food. They were soon sitting around the fire to eat.

Once they had finished and were relaxing, Valkron looked over to where Samaroh was sitting. The priest seemed to be deeply engrossed in whatever he was reading. Valkron leaned to his right and nudged Emeth, who was staring at the night sky.

'Tell me,' he said, 'is it all right if I disturb a priest from his reading?'

'Why do you ask?' said Emeth in surprise.

'Let's just say I've had bad experiences with disturbing wizards from their study.'

'Wizards are different from priests in the sense that we don't like being bothered,' said Emeth. 'Priests are supposed to help people. Wizzies aren't. It's mage slang for wizards,' he added, seeing Valkron's expression.

'So it'll be perfectly fine to talk to him while he's busy? I don't want to warrant a silencing effect or twice as much damage, you know.'

'Go on, don't worry about it. Besides, if I'm not wrong priests are trained to stay patient with others.'

'Does he look like he does?' said Valkron.

'Uh...come to think of it, maybe not.' Emeth gave him a bright smile. 'But I suggest you go for it, since it's our only plan at hand.'

Valkron looked up to the sky and muttered something on the lines of, 'Odin, why am I here?' before getting up and walking over to the priest. He went down on one knee and waited for Samaroh to realise he was there.

After a while the priest, without taking his eyes off his book, said, 'Yes?'

'I'd like to ask a favour from you, Samaroh,' said Valkron, feeling everybody's eyes on the back of his neck. 'Just a bit of help concerning the main situation here.'

Samaroh lowered his book. His eyebrows were raised. 'Really? Do tell.'

Valkron disliked the way Samaroh had said it, but he plunged on anyway. 'Is it possible for you to teleport us to Juno? I don't think we'll make it there fast enough and none of us are willing to trek through this place just to get to the city in the sky.'

Samaroh considered this for a while. Valkron took note of his grass green eyes that seemed to remain blank most of the time. He waited patiently, occasionally looking at the others in annoyance.

Finally the priest said, 'All right, I'll do it. It'll take a bit of time, mind you, but since we're stuck out here I guess there's no other choice we have.'

'You're doing it just because we're stuck here?' said Nocturne. 'I'm amazed. Where's your sense of duty?'

'Nocturne, remember what I said back at Al de Baran,' warned Valkron, looking over his shoulder. He turned back to Samaroh. 'Thanks. We'll go for it in the morning.'

'Suits me,' replied the priest, returning to his book.

Valkron stared a little too long at the back of the book, fervently wishing that Samaroh would burn into ashes with his glare. Since this wasn't happening, he gave up and got to his feet, flicking his cloak to get rid of the dust. The others watched him in silence as he went over to the wall of rock nearby and leaned against it. He was sitting just outside the ring of light the fire threw out.

Gradually, one by one the party members went off in different directions to secure a sleeping place. Valkron watched them through half-closed eyes. Tonight it was Khan's turn to be on the lookout. He was already sitting some way above the knight, gazing out into the landscape spread out before him. Valkron glanced momentarily at him before turning over and taking off his visor as he tried to get comfortable. If he got the timing right, he'd be asleep just about now...

* * *

'Valkron! Get up!'

The knight stirred, but he was barely awake when someone kicked him on the shin and swore.

'Serves you right,' said Valkron sleepily, as Khan hopped around on one foot and cursing mildly at the plate armour.

'This isn't the time to be sarcastic, Valkron - oh, why am I doing this?' The assassin put his foot back down on the ground and grabbed Valkron by the shoulders. Judging by the fact that knights were the heaviest of the lot due to their armour and weaponry (crusaders didn't count at this point) it was quite surprising that he could actually get Valkron to his feet. Right after that the knight received a ringing slap across the face. It had a very good effect.

'What do you want, Khan?' said Valkron, massaging his cheek reproachfully.

'We've got visitors.' Khan rolled his eyes. 'The knight from yesterday.'

At this Valkron was fully awake. He had been suspecting it since they had left Al de Baran. Sagna was not the kind of person who held a grudge for long, even though he could be a little overconfident at times. Valkron wasn't sure if anyone else saw, but he had looked straight into Sagna's eyes and he was sure that they were not the same as before. He knew Sagna well - after all, he'd been the younger knight's tutor once.

To his disgust there was a thick fog surrounding the two of them. Even Emeth was barely visible - if it hadn't been for his dark red mop of hair Valkron would have never guessed the wizard had been sleeping right next to him. They could barely see a thing.

'Confound this blasted fog,' he muttered, and held up his hand. Fire burst into life along his arm and licked playfully at his fingers without burning his clothes or flesh. The heat helped to clear the fog a little, but it was still not enough.

'Khan,' said Valkron in a whisper, 'you've got better senses than me. Where is he?'

'I'm not too sure about that,' replied the assassin in a low voice. 'Why are we whispering?'

'Because if he's really looking for us I don't want him to know where we are.'

Khan gave Valkron a look. 'Samaroh's near the gap in the trees where we entered this clearing.'

The knight mentally swore. That dumb priest had positioned himself where anyone would find him first, if they found the party. Samaroh would not put it out of his mind not to shout, either. More or less they were extremely vulnerable.

'Go and get him out of the way,' he said to Khan. 'I don't care how you do it - drag him if you have to. Just get him out of the way.'

'If I can find him,' said Khan, but he went forth. Valkron watched his back disappear into the fog, now wishing he hadn't said that. It had been better standing in a fog with someone you could trust and see rather than standing in the fog alone.

For a while there was no sound at all except for the soft moaning in the trees. Valkron used his fire skills again, but they did nothing apart from creating a burnt smell. He quickly waved it off and waited, sword drawn.

Then an arm hooked itself around his throat and pulled hard. Valkron choked, his hand releasing its grip on his sword as he tried to stop his unseen assailant. After a bit of struggling the knight kicked backwards and the arm released him. He stumbled forward but recovered quickly and snatched his sword from the ground.

A silhouette appeared out of the mist. It was Sagna, with a grin that Valkron could only describe as creepy. His eyes were shimmering.

'Nice to see you again, Valkron,' he said. 'But you're blocking our way. We won't let you find the portal.'


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

'Nice to see you again, Valkron,' he said. 'But you're blocking our way. We won't let you find the portal.'

Valkron cursed himself mentally. He should have paid more attention to the younger knight. This was not boding well, since he could see none of his party and probably none of his party could see him.

Soft laughter reached his ears. Sagna's party emerged from the whirling fog, all with the same creepy grin on their faces and with the same shimmering eyes. Valkron prepared himself, watching them warily and holding his sword upright in front of him, in case they tried anything before he was ready.

They stood in a half-circle around him, laughing. The rogue was staring at Valkron hungrily, while the monk cracked his knuckles menacingly, face stretched in a mocking smile. The huntress was giggling. If Valkron hadn't known them, he'd have considered them insane.

He took a step back, slowly. They began to advance on him. Something was telling him that they were not themselves, but he had as much power over it as he had the power for telling a rock to start walking.

Sagna moved first, so quickly that Valkron barely dodged his massive spear. The white-haired knight hit the spear away and sensed another weapon aiming for his back. He spun around and hit out wildly, and there was a clang before a knife materialised from the air and flew somewhere else. There was a high-pitched laugh from the air. Valkron swore under his breath.

The monk charged at him full tilt. Valkron blocked him with his arm and then sent the hilt of the sword into the man's stomach. There was an 'oof!' and the monk was flung off. Valkron had no time to think. He swung his sword to his right and two arrows clattered off his blade.

Sagna attacked him again. This was not the Sagna who had challenged him in Al de Baran. His attacks came in a flurry of blows and lunges, too fast for even Valkron to see. The older knight could do nothing but parry his blows.

They broke apart. Valkron backed off, breathing hard. Sagna showed no sign of exertion.

'What's the portal to you?' said the older knight, keeping an eye on him. The others circled him like hungry wolves waiting to make their kill.

'It's what's giving me the strength and speed to defeat you, Valkron,' said Sagna, eyes glowing eerily. 'You've always been the number one legend in the Prontera Chivalry. I'm so sick and tired of hearing your name spoken by the swordsmen as if you're some hero. Feh! I could have done better that you!'

'Why aren't you proving that instead of fighting me?' said Valkron.

'Well, I _am_ doing it right now, aren't I?' said Sagna. 'They say no one can kill you, Valkron. But once I have, I will be the top knight of the Chivalry!'

Valkron exhaled. This idiot knight was actually thinking of defeating him so he could be the next legend.

'There'll be others after me, Sagna,' he said. 'So many more. You might be able to defeat them, but then one day someone will come and kick you off the list so hard you'll forget about ever becoming a legend--'

Sagna snarled in anger and lunged. Valkron swept aside to avoid it and then nearly screamed as something sharp plunged into his back. He pulled himself away from it and turned to see the huntress holding a dagger with blood dripping from its blade. Her eyes were contorted in anger. So were the other two.

The spear went past his face. Valkron jerked back his head to avoid it, but he felt its point graze his cheek. He hit it away. After that Sagna's party attacked him in one go, giving him no time to think at all. He felt his sword moving, hitting away spear, dagger and blade, and dodged whatever they threw at him.

Suddenly the surroundings flared. The rogue was thrown off his feet by a series of lightning bolts, while the monk and huntress were hit by fire. Sagna himself received ice in the face. Valkron turned, panting, to see Emeth looming out of the fog, holding his staff out in front of him.

'In trouble, eh?' he said, lowering his staff a little. 'You could have shouted for help.'

'You could say,' said Valkron breathlessly, 'that my pride as a knight was at stake.'

Emeth shrugged. 'So much for pride.' Magic whirled around him for a moment, and the rogue appeared behind him. The wizard turned and gave him a few well-timed hard whacks on the head and shoulders before kicking him away.

'Not the place for magic,' he continued calmly. 'Looks like I'll just join in, mate.'

Before Valkron could say anything the monk charged at the wizard with a roar. Emeth stepped aside, and as the monk went past him he grabbed the monk's throat and made a few swift movements with his free hand. The monk dropped to the ground a few seconds later.

'What the--?'

Emeth showed him a cleverly concealed dagger in his palm. 'I specialise in long-range and short-range techniques. Never let it be said a wizard doesn't know how to fight.'

Valkron gestured to the fallen monk. 'You didn't kill him?'

'No, but when he wakes up he'll regret attacking me.'

The huntress leapt towards Valkron, dagger in hand. He hit it away, and Emeth caught her in the stomach with his staff and flung her into the fog. At the same time the rogue threw himself towards the knight. The knight turned, but it was Samaroh who threw himself between both of them and sang a few words. White light hit the rogue several times, and the priest finished it with a blow to the head with his mace.

Sagna charged, spear raised. Eni came running out of the fog with Amaru and used the handle of her axe to deflect the blow. As Sagna hit her away and raised his spear again, Amaru kicked his cart at the younger knight. He leapt over it, but he paid dearly for the lapse in concentration, for the blacksmith slammed his mighty hammer into his abdomen and threw him out of the way with a grunt. Sagna got up and raised his arm to throw his spear at Valkron.

There was a _bong_.

The brown-haired knight stayed motionless for a few seconds before toppling over. Iruna looked up, readjusting her shield on her left arm.

'You've got a huntress behind you, and a wound on your back,' she said. 'Please duck, Valkron.'

The knight ducked, and Iruna threw her shield. It scythed through the air and hit the huntress in the face. At the same moment Emeth slammed the end of his staff on the ground. A magic circle widened from where the point touched the soil and extended through the area before glowing. Immediately the fog dissipated to reveal a clear, bright sun and a green clearing with forest.

Valkron straightened, wincing at the pain in his back. Amaru was looking down at the rogue, while Emeth prodded the unconscious knight with the tip of his shoe.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked at Samaroh.

'Please, sit, Valkron,' he said. 'You're injured.'

The knight gave him a look but sat down anyway. Samaroh followed suit and was soon applying his ointments deftly. Eni threw back her hair.

'Anyone seen Nocturne?' she said. 'I was looking for him just now, but I got distracted by the fighting.'

'No, I didn't see him,' said Emeth. 'And come to think of it, I didn't see Khan either.'

'I did,' said Valkron, frowning. 'I asked him to get Samaroh out of the way.'

'Oh, so [ithat[/i was why he was shaking me so hard just now,' remarked the priest, bandaging the wound. Everyone gave him a shared look, but it was totally wasted because he was too busy to see it.

'Then we'll find them.' Valkron got to his feet as Samaroh sat back and started clearing up. 'Never let it be said that the Raulus party would leave a man behind.'

'What will we do with these guys?' said Eni, prodding the monk's back tentatively.

'We'll wait for them to wake up.' Valkron nodded at Emeth. 'Emeth, Samaroh and I will go. The rest of you - stay here and make sure these guys are okay. If they think they can try to kill me again, you nail them to the nearest tree. But not too hard,' he added, seeing the expression on Eni's face.

'If you say so,' said Iruna, so calmly and solidly that Valkron knew not even Eni could protest. With a glance over his shoulder at the three of them he left the clearing, flanked by Emeth and Samaroh.

* * *

'Do you hear anything, Nocturne?' said Khan. 'You're trained for the forest, not me. I don't assassinate animals.'

The hunter listened intently for a while before he said, 'Nope. Maybe they know we're here and got away before we found them.'

'Or they could have reached the party already.' Khan looked around him. 'Darn this fog. I can't see a thing.'

'Well, whatever you think I can't see through a fog either,' snapped the hunter. 'I'm not an animal! Maybe even animals can't see through this.'

'Hm. Good point.' Khan looked up at the thick foliage. 'I think we should head back now. The others might get worried about us.'

'Like my sister would ever get worried about me,' grumbled Nocturne, but he followed Khan anyway. They walked through the forest in silence. From time to time they had to reach out and check there wasn't a tree in their way, and they had to look out for protruding roots and bushes.

After a while Nocturne said, 'I don't recognise this place, Khan. I think we've lost the way back.'

The assassin looked around. He was getting worried, and, by the look on Nocturne's face, so was he. No one wanted to be caught in Mjollnir forest. You might get found by something.

Suddenly he heard something. It was on the edge of his hearing and very faint, but he was sure he heard it. He put a hand on Nocturne's shoulder, and when the hunter turned to look at him he put a finger to his lips and motioned for him to lie on the ground. Puzzled, the hunter did so and so did Khan.

They were just under a bush. Lying there, Khan tried to detect any more sounds, but before he could Nocturne whispered, 'I hear footsteps.'

'I heard voices,' replied the assassin.

And then they both heard the sound of footsteps. The sound got increasingly louder, indicating that whoever was approaching their bush. By the sound of it there were two people, not one.

Khan nearly got a shock when a large black boot thudded down right in front of him. It was no less farther than two inches from his nose. Luckily he had left his sakkhat off, but he hoped the fog would cover him more than the bush did. An assassin and a hunter were very distinguishable from the forest, whatever people thought.

'Well, did you send him?' said a deep, hoarse voice. It belonged to the owner of the black boots, judging by the proximity of the sound.

_Yes. I did._

Nocturne lowered his head as if he was cowering. Khan couldn't blame him. The second voice was not human. It had a thin, scraping whine and at the same time echoed of ancient temples where sacrifices were made. It sounded hungry, bloodthirsty.

'If he's succeeded then he'll be back to claim his just reward.' The first voice sounded satisfied. 'But we'll add in a monster or two for the fun of it, eh?'

_Yes. It will be fun._

'Good. Break the branch here. The monsters will sniff them out. Too bad I can't see what happens next.'

Before Khan knew it, a withered, twisted branch dropped in front of his nose. The black boot lifted and then stamped on it hard. There was a cracking sound, and purple smoke began to billow from it. On the other side the same thing was being repeated by whoever was the owner of the second voice.

Luckily for the two of them the unseen speakers went away faster than they had expected. Nocturne scrambled to his feet and backed away from the smoking branches. Khan backed off while he was still on the ground, and got up while drawing his two katars out. This did not look good.

The branches continued to billow purple smoke, which began to form shapes. Nocturne unhooked his bow off his back and fitted an arrow into it. His hands were shaking as he pulled back the bowstring. Khan raised his katars and waited.

The first monster exploded out of the smoke and went straight for them. It was a mystelltainn. It jabbed at them ferociously, hissing in a thin, cold voice. Khan leapt aside and hammered a series of quick blows onto it. Nocturne lowered his bow and unhooked a trap from his waist before throwing it at the cursed sword. The assassin threw himself to the side just as the trap exploded under the sword.

Khan got up and turned to face an owl baron. He dodged the cane and lunged forward, but the monster was quicker than him and cast its spells.

Nocturne unsheathed a damascus from his pouch and got ready to attack the sword when a larger, much notched sword landed heavily on the mysteltainn. It shrieked and turned, only to be blasted with white light. Nocturne looked up and felt relief flooding him. It was Valkron.

'Get out of the way, Nocturne, Emeth's here,' said the knight, but words didn't need to be said. Fire thundered into existence. The hunter threw himself to the side and the mysteltainn went up in flames. Bolts of white light joined in, before Valkron's flaming sword slammed into the cursed sword. After a few more similar blows it finally drew its death rattle and dropped lifeless to the ground.

'Where's Khan, Nocturne?' said Emeth, stepping into view. The hunter pointed a trembling finger to his right.

Just then Khan leapt over the bushes and fell at Valkron's feet. The knight gave him a disdainful look and said dryly, 'I don't need people worshipping me, I've probably got more worshippers than Odin now.'

'I wasn't worshipping you,' said the assassin indignantly, but Valkron ignored him. He stepped over Khan, and, just as the owl baron walked into the area, strode forward to it. The monster began to cast a spell. Without delay Valkron dealt it a sharp blow on the head and distracted it.

Emeth summoned ice to surround the monster before he cast thunder to hammer onto the ice. The owl baron shrieked in pain and flew off before any of them could do anything else.

'Are you all right?' said Samaroh, walking out from behind a bush. 'That mystelltainn was a hard opponent.' He looked around in the sudden silence. 'What? What did I say now?'

'I've never seen Lex Aeterna like it,' said Valkron. 'Not that bright, either.'

'Uh...I use it a lot?'

Emeth waved him quiet. 'We'll get back first _before_ we start discussing anything here, eh? Those creatures were from dead branches. I don't think we'd want to face any more of them.'

* * *

That day they did not move from where they were.

Amaru sat a little way away from the party, his hammer upright. He was in charge of Sagna's party, so he had good reason to let it stay up. This was also the reason why no one wanted to sit near him.

Valkron leaned his chin on his hand thoughtfully. 'So someone asked Sagna to attack us. Or rather, me.'

'Why would you say that?' said Eni, inspecting a bottle of newly-made potion.

'Because he targeted me first, not the rest of you.' Valkron gazed into empty space. 'And his party followed him.'

'Why would he go after you, Valkron?' said Khan. 'That sounds a bit ominous to me.'

'I know why,' said Emeth, chewing on his leaf. 'In Al de Baran he challenged Valkron so that he could see how good our leader was. When Valkron humiliated him he got mad and the portal's magic got to him and gave him what he wanted the most - the power to defeat Valkron.'

'I still don't think Sagna's up to par with me,' said Valkron, 'whatever power he has.'

'But you were failing before Emeth intervened,' said Iruna softly. 'You were lucky we were here. You couldn't have put up with four people who had the same strength and power.'

'That's absolutely none of your business,' snapped the knight gruffly. 'Things will have come to a pretty pass when I can't defeat my own student.'

'Well, things _have_ come to a pretty pass.' Emeth got off the tree trunk he was leaning on. 'The portal knows we're looking for it. It's sending agents to stop us. I don't mind fighting people like them, but I'll be damned if I'm going to fight innocent peasants just because some sod is using them like tools.'

There was a groan from the pile of bodies next to Amaru. Everyone looked towards them. After a minute or so, Valkron got to his feet and walked over to the pile.

It was the monk. He was massaging his head gingerly. When he opened his eyes he looked straight up at Valkron.

'H-Hey, it's you from yesterday,' he said, sitting up and starting to edge away from Valkron. 'Uh...why are we here?'

'Don't remember a thing?' said Valkron.

'Um, well, no, not exactly remember--'

'Really?' said Valkron, taking one step closer. The monk looked like he wanted to run, but Amaru was sitting right behind him and the hammer did not look innocent.

'Uh, well, I, uh, I--'

'Oh, give him a break, Valkron,' said Emeth, pushing past the knight. 'There's a better way of doing this, I'm sure of it.'

At the sight of the wizard the monk actually got up and started running. Amaru, however, was faster. His leg shot out and kicked his cart towards the back of the monk's legs. There was a clunk and a clatter.

Valkron strode over and grabbed the monk by his collar. He yanked him to his feet and said, 'If you don't talk, I am going to see how far I can shove my sword up your nostril--'

'All right, all right, I'll talk!' yelled the monk in panic. 'Put that sword down!'

Emeth placed a gloved hand on Valkron's shoulder. 'Easy there, Valkron. You're a knight. You've got some pride, haven't you?'

'I'm tired of this place, I'm injured, I'm exhausted and I want to kill someone now,' said Valkron without taking his eyes off the struggling monk. 'But for his sake I'll let him go. He'd better not run or I really will shove this into any available orifice of his.'

Emeth looked down at Amaru, who was staring in quiet horror and fascination at Valkron. He whispered, 'If it becomes too much, Amaru, get over here and help me hold him down, will you?'

'I think we'll need to, shortly enough,' replied the blacksmith.

The wizard turned back. 'Be reasonable, Valkron. He's human. If he can't remember what happened, blame it on the portal.' He tightened his grip on the knight's shoulder, though he doubted the feeling would go through his armour. 'Let me talk to him.'

'I'm _not_ in a good mood,' growled Valkron. 'If you want to live--'

_'What do you think you're sayin', man? You dare disobey your superior?! When I give you orders, Valkron, I 'spect them to be followed! And right now I order you to stand down! STAND DOWN, VALKRON, BY ORDER OF THE PRONTERA CHIVALRY!_'

The tone must have resonated with something in Valkron's past training. To the amazement of everyone present he actually turned on his heel and walked off in the other direction. Emeth was probably the most shocked of everyone else, since it was _him_ who had shouted it spontaneously.

After a while the birds started singing again.

Emeth coughed. 'Right.' He turned to the monk. 'Please tell us what happened in your point of view. Whatever we know mostly opposes your opinion, so I think it's best if we hear both sides of the incident.'

'I was thinking that,' said the monk.

'Well, then that's great.' The wizard tried not to look too relieved. 'So, you for it?'

'Um...yes. But,' the monk gestured towards the prostrate bodies, 'our leader's waking up, on account of you shouting.'

'Ah. A better witness, in my opinion. But you're not to move from here, or I'll make our leader do what he threatened to do,' he added sternly, as the monk sighed in relief. 'At this point, I think you should do what I say.'

'You should,' said Amaru calmly from behind them.

'Yeah, I was thinking that too.'

Sagna groaned and sat up, grasping his shoulder. 'Ow. Where the heck am I?'

The wizard went down on one knee in front of him. 'Sagna,' he said gently, 'do you remember me?'

The younger knight looked up at him. 'Um, I don't think-- Oh. Um.'

'Best not to run.' Emeth jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Valkron, who was standing stiffly to attention. 'He'll be on your tail before you can finish saying Tyr.'

'What? Who?' Sagna stared at Valkron, and then tried to scramble to his feet. 'I've got to get away as fast as I can, Valkron's going to get me for this, I know he's going to, I'dbettergetgoingandgetawayfromhimasfastasIcan--'

'Not so fast, metal boy,' said Emeth, sticking out his leg. Sagna tripped over it. The wizard got up and looked down at him while he looked back up.

'If you _really_ don't want Valkron after you, then I suggest you spill everything that led up to the incident,' he said. 'If you do run, he'll never forgive you. You were his student, right? Valkron never runs from anything. He won't forgive you for running. No knight runs from anything, not even if he's about to die. That's what being a knight is really about. You don't run for the sake of other people.'


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The fire crackled as Amaru turned over some pieces of firewood to expose unburnt sides. Emeth muttered words under his breath at the same time with his arm outstretched and his palm at the fire. In minutes it was blazing fiercely.

'There. It's nicely lit.' Emeth dusted his gloved hands. 'I can't understand why winter winds would blow when it's summer.'

'I told you,' said Sagna, who was curled up some way away from the fire. 'The portal's changing the world.'

Valkron, who had been sitting with his back to the party, said nothing but lay down and sighed. Everyone gave him nervous looks before looking back at Sagna.

'Hm.' Emeth sat down and crossed his legs under his cloak. 'So you're telling us that the portal's not only changing people, but it'll change the world? How'd you find that out?'

'Because when I was thinking about Valkron's words,' Sagna glanced nervously at Valkron, 'I felt like I wanted to have more power, just for a short while, to prove him wrong. Right after I thought that, someone knocked on my door. Turned out to be this big guy wearing a cloak with a hood and really heavy boots.'

'Sounds like your person in the forest,' said Eni, nodding to Khan.

'We don't know for sure, anyone can wear black boots,' snapped Emeth. 'Stop interrupting and let the kid tell his story, will you? Contributions can come later. Go on,' he added to Sagna.

'Yeah...well, he told me that I could have power, as long as I killed Valkron.' Sagna looked slightly apologetic. 'I didn't want to _kill_ Valkron - go against him, yes, proving him wrong, yes - but not kill. It's just that, when he said it...'

'The idea seemed attractive to you at the time?' said Emeth.

'It suddenly became very tempting, yeah...so I said yes.'

'And what did he do?' said Nocturne.

'He just said, "Tomorrow morning you come out and let the last light of the moon shine on you. After that you'll have the power to kill him. You can have the power forever if you succeed."'

Samaroh leaned forward. 'That kind of power,' he said, 'is the kind that takes your life in payment for its usage.'

'I know.' Sagna gestured feebly. 'But when he said that I could have the power, everything changed. It was as if the right blow of my sword could - could _do_ things. It was as if the sword could change the world.'

'There are still some idiots who still think like that,' said Samaroh. 'We get them in the monastery, sometimes.'

'That'll be their opinion, not yours, so you don't have the right to tell them off.' Emeth rubbed the tip of his nose thoughtfully with a finger. 'I have a feeling I know who the guy is but I think you should go on.'

'Well, after I let the moonlight shine on me, when I got back to the inn I felt...different. Like, more power flowing through me. I crumpled a piece of steel as if it were paper.' Sagna flexed his fingers as if still unsure as to whether the strength had gone from his hands or not. 'And then somehow I found out my party shared the strength too.'

Everyone looked at the rogue, monk and huntress who made up Sagna's party. They gave apprehensive looks back.

'So we just went forth. Whatever I thought, they thought too. Whatever I felt, they felt as well.' The brown-haired knight sighed. 'But by the looks of it you people are a lot more powerful than the portal.'

'We were just lucky. I don't think the portal is weak.' Emeth looked at Samaroh. 'Do you think so, Samaroh? Have you felt anything that suggested the portal as weak?'

'Even if I did I wouldn't let my guard down,' replied the priest. 'I don't trust things like portals, because the dark magic is often too strong to tell.'

'No one said you had to.' Emeth turned back to Sagna. 'So that's your side of the story. Not much to glean from, but I think you've helped us enough. Thanks.'

'You're welcome.' Sagna got up. 'I'll be going back to Al de Baran now, with the rest. Hey, Faran, Estelle, Telv, let's get going. Oh, and uh, thanks for the healing.'

'My job as a priest,' said Samaroh calmly, packing away his poultices. The rest of Sagna's party got up.

'Hey, Sagna,' said Valkron from the grass. The younger knight stopped dead in his tracks.

'Um...yes?'

'When I get back to the Prontera Chivalry after this, I want to see you.'

'Um...yes?'

'There's something I want to talk to you about.'

'Um...why?'

'What do you mean why?'

'Um...okay.' Sagna half-turned to look over his shoulder at Valkron. 'Um...see you there, sir. Good luck to all of you.'

The Raulus party, excluding Valkron, watched him go in silence before turning back to Valkron. Emeth shooed them away and went over to the knight's side. He flumped down on the ground in a flurry of cloak and crossed his legs.

After a few minutes of thoughtfully chewing his blade of grass, he said, 'Sagna's a decent kid, you know. There's no need to be so harsh on him.'

No answer.

'After all, he's got his emotions like you. I mean, you used to be a swordsman too, right? I guess you looked up to someone as your hero, back then.'

No answer.

'No one can live without someone to look up to.' Emeth sighed. 'I used to look up to my parents - well, until they died. After that I stayed alone. Maybe I was a bit bad, because there wasn't anyone to tell me right from wrong and I had to learn it the hard way, but one way or another I've always been proud of myself and I learned to stand up by myself.'

No answer.

'You used to be young, Valkron. Don't tell me you've forgotten your early days.'

'I haven't forgotten anything, Emeth,' said Valkron.

'Then?'

'The problem is that I remember too much.'

Emeth felt as if a deep chasm had just opened up ahead of him. He decided to back away from it.

'You're still being pretty pushy, though. A bit hard on the younger generation.' He took out his leaf and inspected the bite marks on it. 'Give them a chance, why don't you?'

'I'm giving them plenty of chances, Emeth. I'm pushy because that's what you have to do, as their senior.' Valkron rolled over so that his back was facing Emeth. 'You need to learn how to survive in a world like this. That's what I learned in my early days. And all my tutors were pushy.'

'You're pressurizing them, Valkron.'

''S called competition. Ever heard of it? I thought you led a pretty competitive life in the Academy.'

'Yeah, well, with magic it's a different case,' said Emeth dismissively. 'But this is swordsmanship I'm talking about. Honour. Respect. Courage. Bravery. _Belief_. That's the strongest force in the world that can push you. It doesn't come from the people around you, it comes from within you.'

'What do you mean?' said Valkron. 'What honour? What respect? Everyone, even swordsmen, is delusioned with these virtues. When they come under the service of the Chivalry they find out that knighthood is just all about protecting sick, poor beggars who can't even pay you a quarter of a zeny and other people who whine on about you not protecting them. Yeah, I guess the lads love honour and glory, but after a war I see them walking down the road hand in hand with death, maybe they overdid the celebrating. Where's the honour in that? Last-minute stands are nothing but butcher shops, not all that death-or-glory crap.'

The silence was only broken by the crickets singing in the bushes. Then Emeth said, 'I didn't know you looked at things so realistically.'

'Yeah, well, Sagna wasn't the only one who believed swords could change the world.'

The wizard stared at Valkron's back for some time. Then, in a careful tone, he said, 'Then why did you choose to stick with your job, if you talk about it like you hate it?'

'Because there was someone I knew who was a knight. Someone who died for his beliefs. Someone I looked up to, until he died and then reality slapped me in the face. I've been living like this for thirty years, so don't tell me to change my mind.'

Emeth gazed at the stars. 'But the world's changing, Valkron,' he said thoughtfully. 'To cope with the changes you have to change yourself.'

'I don't need anyone to tell me how to change.'

'Still, though, you sound like you hate your job--'

'Will you just stow it, Emeth?' Valkron's voice was bitter. 'I once used to believe swords could change the world, till I thought about it. And then I realised the one I looked up to died by the sword. It totally changed _my_ world into something I didn't want it to be. And then I thought, what if there are other people like me, whose worlds changed into something they didn't want because of one swing of the sword? That's why I'm here now, as who I am and as what I'll always be. Go away.'

_And that just about shuts me up_, thought Emeth. He sighed. 'You win this one. I just thought you'd want some company.'

No answer.

The wizard got up and dusted his cloak. 'To be truthful, my parents died by the sword too. But I don't hold on to the past, Valkron. If it's done, it's done. I can't change the past. No one can.'

'My parents died for a reason. I know what it is. And if you don't go now I'm going to cut off your head. At least nobody will be bugging me on the topic any longer.'

Emeth sighed again. 'You always say what your heart doesn't mean.'

As the wizard walked away, cloak swishing softly in the grass, Valkron wiped away a tear.

* * *

By next morning Samaroh was ready and waiting with his teleport. Valkron was his usual gruff self, but Emeth stayed away from him. Everyone did. No one except Emeth had heard the conversation the previous night, but the atmosphere spread fast and they knew when it sent them warning signals.

Within ten minutes they were in the floating city of Juno. Everyone gazed up at the magnificent buildings, with their grand fronts and elaborate architecture. Samaroh had summoned them to the gates of Juno, so as they entered the city they voiced their wonder at the grey marble gates with their silver inlay and glittering opals the size of a man's head.

They clattered over the stones as they made their way to a fountain set in the middle of a square. The Pecos had been teleported too, so Valkron and Iruna led them over to a drinking trough while the rest went to rest their feet at the fountain.

Valkron bundled up the reins of his peco neatly and bound them in rope. As he tucked them beneath the saddle he could feel someone's eyes on the back of his neck. He turned to see Iruna facing him.

'Yes, Iruna?' he said, rummaging around in the bag at the peco's side while it gurgled happily as it drank.

'I was just wondering about something. It's all right, you don't need to know what it is. It has absolutely nothing to do with you, or the portal.' Iruna left her peco to drink and went to join the others at the fountain.

Now that he was left alone, Valkron went over to his peco's head. It lifted its beak and watched him walk to it. He put his arms around its neck and started scratching under its beak.

'Had a good drink, Evlor?' he said softly. The peco squawked softly and buried its beak into his hair. He leaned against it.

'How long do you think this will go on?' he asked, after a while.

The peco gave another soft squawk and dipped its beak into the trough. Valkron waited for it to finish before he said, 'What do you mean, can't tell? I thought you could always tell.'

Evlor cocked his head to one side and seemed to give it some thought. Then he squawked twice.

'Different? My party members are different?' Valkron looked over his shoulder at them. 'What difference does that make?'

Evlor squawked for a while. Valkron listened carefully, and then sighed and rested his head on the peco's saddle. 'Maybe you're right,' he said. 'But, you know, I'd really like to be alone again.'

The peco turned its head and gave him a look the knight knew all too well. Then he squawked something else before turning back to the front and gazing stolidly ahead.

Valkron thought about it. 'I guess.' He looked at the party again, but this time his gaze lingered a little longer on Emeth. If anyone had seen the look, they wouldn't have called it annoyed, or put off. They would have called it sad.

'Hey, Valkron!' called out a passing merchant. 'Long time no see! Got business here?'

Valkron nodded to him. 'The usual, Rem. The usual.'

'Still the same ol' you, no mistake there,' said the merchant, shaking his head and grinning. 'Well, gotta go. Customers won't come if I just stay in one place.'

The knight watched him go until he remembered the reason why they were in Juno. He left his peco, giving it a good-natured pat as he went and approached Emeth. The wizard sat upright when he noticed the knight was coming for him.

'What? Do I look like I'm going to tell you off?' asked Valkron.

Emeth shrugged. 'Can't tell, not with your recent behaviour.'

Valkron tried not to roll his eyes in exasperation, with some amount of difficulty. 'Could you see if the portal's here? And while you're at it, where do you think we could go and find out more about the power behind whatever the thing is?'

'Ah, you'll have to ask a sage for that,' said Emeth. 'As to your first question, I'd rather go and throw myself over the edge of Juno for that.'

'Whatever for? You're not a suicidal wizard, Emeth.'

'No, but it's either that or exploding'. Emeth smiled apologetically at Valkron's suddenly blank face. 'In contrast to the world below, the magical field in Juno...constantly fluctuates. I'd rather end up down there in a thousand pieces than become completely--'

'All right, all right, I get your point,' said Valkron. 'The disadvantage, though, is that either way no one can find enough of you to hold a proper funeral. Don't do it. That's an order.' He looked around. 'Well, we'll see what we can do, then. Know any sages here?'

'I doubt there'll be many of them here,' said Samaroh, looking up from his book. 'They'll be with the mercenary parties down there.'

Valkron threw his hands up into the air. 'Why is everyone with a mercenary party these days? What happened to the good old traditions of staying at home?'

'Big money, Valkron,' said Khan, tightening the strips of linen around his arms. 'They want money. It's better than sitting around and doing nothing.'

'Mercenaries get a better deal, I guess,' said Eni, from the other side of Samaroh. 'They get pensions when they retire, and those pensions are big money.'

'Nothing like a good swing at monsters before breakfast, eh?' Samaroh hastily chuckled when Valkron gave him a look. 'Sorry. Just my little joke.'

'Some kind of joke,' said the knight flatly. 'Get up, all of you. We've got work to do.'

Grumbling, the Raulus party got to their feet and got ready to move on. Valkron and Iruna brought over their Pecos and got ready to mount them. Even Eni's pet lunatic (Valkron found out later that it was called Fluffball, with good reason) had come along for the ride and was happily washing its ears as everyone turned to go.

Emeth looked behind him at the gates. He frowned. He was sure that he had felt something earlier, but it had disappeared now. He shrugged. It would come along later, like everything else--

'Oooooooh, he's here!'

Everyone turned around in surprise, even Valkron. Emeth turned too and came face to face with an archer girl, accompanied by her mage girlfriend. They were staring up at the wizard with adoring looks on their faces.

'In Odin's name,' he managed to say.

'It _is_ him, isn't it?' said the mage, who seemed to be too shy to step forward but too unsure to back off. Emeth was the one who took a step back - probably to see them better, Valkron thought, because he was too damn tall to see teenagers close up.

'Um...can I help you in any way, ladies?' said Emeth. He had an expression close to horror.

'Oh my, he's so polite!' The archer took the opportunity to take a step forward. 'And he's so tall and so cute! I think I'm in heaven!'

_If Emeth hadn't been a wizard he would have died at that point_, thought Valkron, looking at Emeth's face. He dismounted from his peco and, with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, approached the girls. People were starting to gather around, curious at the sudden commotion.

'Uh...you see, my friend here saw you in Prontera a few months back,' said the mage shyly. 'She wanted to know your name, but you went off too fast. She's gone around looking for you ever since.'

'Ah,' said Emeth.

'And now we've finally met!' exclaimed the archer, who seemed to be bubbling over with ecstasy. 'I've always wanted to talk to you, ooh, I do!'

'Um. About what?'

Valkron was amazed that Emeth could still speak rationally in his condition. The fellow was staring with shock at them, and he was frozen to the spot.

'About - about lots of things! But first...' The archer got hold of both of his hands somehow, and gazed up at him with adoring eyes. '...could I marry you?'

The archer was radiating a genuine aura of love and she didn't look too bad either, so Valkron felt an uncharacteristic pang of sympathy for her when Emeth said, somewhat explosively and rather quickly, 'No!' He wasn't the only one - the people in the crowd around them either winced or put their hands to their mouths. The girl herself deflated, and her friend gave Emeth a look that didn't need words to express it.

In that moment Emeth pulled himself together. He took a deep breath and shook himself. 'Look, I know I have girls following me everywhere I go, but I just want to say - and let me make myself clear - when it's the time for me to get married, I'll know. Besides,' he looked sorry here, 'you're a little too young for the likes of me.'

They watched the mage walk her friend away, patting her on the back. Valkron was aware that Samaroh, Khan, Nocturne and Eni were trying not to laugh, which was something worth watching if he didn't need to see to the wizard first.

'You're used to it, aren't you?' he said.

Emeth turned to look at him in surprise. 'Huh? Oh, yeah, pretty much.' He ran a hand throug his hair. 'Fangirls left and right everywhere I go. It's just that it's been a long time since I had a previous interception, really--'

'Well, well, well, look who's here, girls,' said a sultry voice. 'Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the fun, attractive, wild but above all always-in-the-mood Emeth?'

And here, thought Valkron, when he had turned around, was where Emeth's past caught up with him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Valkron took one look at the newcomers and immediately knew that Emeth was not in for a good time. His eyes narrowed. Something bad might happen with them around.

He risked a glance at Emeth. The wizard had gone white and was staring into empty space. His eyes were so wide the golden irises were fully visible. If Valkron was right there was a drop of sweat rolling down his face. He was the only one who had not turned around to see who the owner of the voice was.

Eni put her hands on her hips. 'Who are _they_?' she said, her voice hinting at disgust.

'They' referred to the trio of women standing in front of the Raulus party. The crowd that had been watching earlier had now dispersed, except for one or two stragglers who didn't have anything to do. Valkron gripped his sword tighter. In times of tension it had been his best friend and that wasn't going to change now.

The rogue, apparently the leader of the group, tilted her head up and looked disdainfully down her nose at Eni. She had long blonde hair that fell to her waist, red pouting lips and sultry, seductive eyes. She seemed even more feminine than Eni.

'That's none of your business, alkey,' she said. 'We just want to talk to someone here.'

'Oh, really?' said Eni angrily. 'So what's with the oh-so-high-and-mighty Miss Rune-Midgard look, then? Orc ladies look better than you!'

'Down, girl,' said Iruna, putting out a hand. 'Let her talk.'

The rogue smiled smugly and tossed back her head of hair. Behind her a dancer and a sage seemed to watching Emeth's back. They were just the same as the rogue - tall, slim, utterly feminine and sexy - maybe too hot for the clergy, because Samaroh had his nose buried deep in his book again, which he held in front of his face.

Valkron moved a step closer to Emeth and whispered from the side of his mouth, 'What's up with you and them?'

Emeth did not answer.

The rogue licked her lips. 'Well, Emeth? Not answering us? Oh, my...are you too shy? Maybe we could help you out, just like we did years ago.'

Nocturne raised an eyebrow, while Khan pulled his sakkhat down to cover his face. Valkron was starting to get the hint, but he did not say anything. This was not funny. He'd never seen Emeth so white before. Neither had the rest.

'I don't think our wizard enjoys your presence, girls,' said Iruna. Her blindfolded eyes gave nothing away as the three of them looked at her. 'I'm sorry, but we're on official business. Please move.'

'Official business?' said the rogue, and gave a high-pitched laugh that made Valkron feel like throwing up.

'But we're on official business too,' said the sage.

'Yeah, Emeth owes us something,' said the dancer.

A half-smile appeared on Iruna's face. 'Really? How interesting. But unfortunately we don't have the time to deal with your wonderful affairs you had during your younger days, so I'm sure we'll be going now.' She turned to Valkron and lifted half her blindfold. The knight received a very meaningful look, which he acknowledged with a nod. He turned around and said, very quietly, 'Let's go, Emeth.'

'Now, now, wait there,' said the rogue. She took a step forth, evidently emboldened by the lack of response from the Raulus party. 'We want to talk to Emeth. He's gone a long way with us, no doubts there. He does owe us something.'

'I owe you nothing, Vierell,' said Emeth, in a strangely choked voice. Valkron shot a look at him, but he was still staring the opposite way.

'Really? Then what was that promise you made to us when you were,' the dancer licked her lips, 'in the need? You said you'd do it, right?'

There was no answer. Valkron, who had an active imagination, already had a mental image drawn in his mind. Now what he wanted was a mental eraser.

'Oh, come on, don't deny it,' said the sage. 'You went with me once, right? Like you did with all of us. That was a tidy sum you paid us then and there--'

Valkron turned around and strode over to the women. Not even the fact that they were taller than him deterred him from walking straight up to the rogue.

'By order of the Prontera Chivalry,' he said, in a loud, clear voice, 'you are to hereby remove your friends from this immediate vicinity and be on your way.'

The three women gave him looks which suggested he was a fly, a cockroach and something stuck to the soles of their heels - in that order.

'Trying to be a _good_ knight?' sneered the rogue.

'It's my job,' replied Valkron steadily.

'But it's not your business, so--'

'Yes, it bloody well is my business. You are mercenaries. Under the Mercenary Law, Prontera Court, chapter one hundred and fourteen, category B, section fourteen point three eight, clause twelve, subdivision three, no member of a mercenary party may approach a member of another mercenary party unless an agreement has been sought with the leader of said party.' Valkron looked up at them. 'I don't remember you asking me for permission to speak to my wizard, and don't try to ask now. Prior to this conversation you had the chance. As one of the honorary knight commanders of the Mercenary Knights' Battalion, Military Divison, Prontera Chivalry, I have the right to report breaching of the court rules to my superiors and give the names of the offenders. If you do not want to get into trouble I suggest you step back and let my party pass without any further interruption.'

'Cool,' said Nocturne breathlessly.

'He's right, though,' said Iruna, nodding. 'I've seen his name on the list. One of the top rankers, too.'

'But still--' began the sage, who seemed to be having difficulty with the entire speech he had just made.

'I won't hear out any objections. If the law states so, then I must do what I have been instructed to do.' Valkron's jaw set. 'I will not back down.'

The rogue gave him a disgusted stare, but Valkron's eyes were accustomed to staring. Eventually she looked away, evidently unable to hold the knight's hard gaze.

'Well, you win,' she said. 'But we'll be back. You hear that, Emeth? We'll be back.'

As they turned and walked away from them, Valkron exhaled and turned around to face the party. He met four astonished stares. Four, because Emeth was still staring the other way, Iruna did not have visible eyes and Amaru was examining one of his forged weapons.

'What now?' he said.

'You just...stated all that, like you memorised it from a book,' said Eni.

'I didn't know you had a position in the Chivalry,' said Khan. 'I thought you were just a King's mercenary and that was it.'

'You're cool,' said Nocturne admiringly.

'I'm amazed he actually wants to travel with us instead of going with some of the upper class mercenaries,' said Samaroh, looking over the top of his book.

Valkron massaged his brow. People would never learn.

'Well, it _is_ my job. I'm not telling a lie. Yes, I memorised it from the Laws and Ordinances of Prontera, and the reason why I can remember it for so long is that because a lot of people have broken that particular law in front of me. I was dubbed honorary knight commander ten years back as commendation for my duties. Nocturne, I don't ever want to hear you say that I'm cool. Ever. And I didn't _exactly_ choose to journey with you, I journey with whoever I like so long as they can contribute.' Valkron drew a deep breath. 'Well? Anymore questions before we go and find an inn?'

'Uh...no,' said Nocturne.

'Good.' Valkron turned to Emeth. 'Let's go, wizzie. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and you're bloody pale as a sheet. I can't have a wizard fainting at my feet. Move it.'

Emeth seemed to come to his senses at the word 'wizzie'. He blinked once or twice, and then looked at Valkron. The knight felt another pang of sympathy. The wizard had the look of a frightened animal.

'Let's go,' he repeated, this time in a softer tone. 'Come on. No use standing here and regretting what you did before.'

* * *

Juno was famed for one very large inn, called the Winged Horse. It was one of the most beautiful buildings and its service outstripped those of equal class. Not even the unique inns in Al de Baran could match it. Rates were affordable and the staff was friendly and helpful.

Valkron gazed up at the ceiling of the lobby, while Iruna went to get rooms. The ceiling was high and domed, with glass windows lining it. Sunlight fell through in golden rays, illuminating the detailed paintings of warriors and heroes of old and the elaborate architecture that decorated the place.

Not far away, the rest of the party were lounging in a small cluster of armchairs. The staff knew a mercenary party without asking. No doubt because of the high priority given to the King's mercenaries, the group had been left alone except for an occasional waiter coming over to ask if they wanted anything. But they said no.

The knight looked away from the ceiling at them. Samaroh was still reading, but this time he appeared to be making notes. Eni and Khan were talking animatedly, while Nocturne listened. Amaru was keeping away the large hammer he always carried around with him.

Just then someone put a hand on Valkron's shoulder. He half-turned. Iruna was behind him.

'We'll have to wait a while,' she said. 'There's another party just leaving the inn, so we can take their rooms when they've packed and gone.'

'Well, we don't have anything to do right now,' said Valkron. 'We've got all the time today to wait.'

Iruna shrugged. 'It's your say, Valkron. You're the leader.'

Valkron cursed himself for what felt like the hundredth time for becoming the leader of such a large party. It felt like so much trouble, since he was so well known they looked up to him as if he were some kind of demi-god.

He cast his gaze at the party again. Now Iruna had joined the conversation between Eni and Khan, and was now arguing amiably with the assassin. Nocturne was grinning. Valkron wondered about what they were talking about, before his gaze fell on Emeth.

The wizard had not taken a seat, unlike the rest of them. He was leaning against a pillar with his head bowed and his arms folded across his chest underneath his cloak. All that could be seen of him was his headphones, his leaf and his red hair. Although he was about six feet he looked small and despondent this time.

Valkron approached him cautiously. Years of journeying and talking to people had left him with some lessons that were hard to forget. In addition to that, given Emeth's level of mastery with his spells, he had good reason to be cautious.

When he had reached the wizard, he decided to go for an indirect approach. Instead of standing next to the silent wizard he turned around and leaned on the pillar. He rested his head on the cool stone and looked up at the ceiling. Both of them stayed like that for the next few minutes.

At length Valkron said quietly, 'Still thinking about what that rogue said, Emeth?'

No answer.

'Still mulling over whatever you've done? Or are you haunted by her words?' Valkron shook his head, his mop of bushy white hair becoming even messier. 'Whatever it is, you're not acting like the person I know.'

No answer.

'I'm standing here paying you back for your words and the least you could do for me is say something to acknowledge I spoke to you. You're the kind of person who stands up for everyone, you know that? That's why if you had been the leader instead of me people would like you better. You've got the charisma for it.'

Valkron stopped and waited for Emeth to say something. When he didn't the knight continued, 'I've not been around people for a long time, you know. I spent thirty years wandering around Rune-Midgard alone. Now, you - you're a different case. You get along with people, you offer advice - and it's good advice, mind you - and you just...do things I can't do, thanks to my attitude.' Valkron half-closed his eyes. 'So why are you acting like this? That's the question you should ask yourself.'

No answer.

'So what if a trio of girls suddenly pop up from nowhere and hang your dirty linen in public? I say this, Emeth - if your whatever it is you don't wash needs to be hung up by the neck in front of everyone, you do it yourself. It's your life. You've got control over it. Why release your grip on it when you're just getting the hang of things? You're letting people control _you_, in my opinion.'

Emeth sighed depressively. Valkron paused, but the wizard didn't seem inclined to talk. He scratched the back of his head roughly.

'Well, if you want to keep quiet, fine by me. Another person keeps quiet, I don't get bothered by what they do or what they think. Just you remember this - it was last night when you told me the past is the past and whatever's been done is done. No one can alter it. But you change your past by changing your future. It's your decision, not mine, so I won't force you to make it.' The knight got off the pillar and headed for the party. Then he paused in his tracks and turned his head to look back at Emeth.

'Another thing to note is that I don't care who you were back then,' he said, in a low voice. 'As long as you've changed, as long as you've learned your lesson...I'm fine with it. So who cares if you slept with a bunch of girls in your earlier years? Nobody needs to know. If you had a good reason for doing it you'd get away with it. Trust me. I know.'

Valkron finally left Emeth and went over to the group. All of them were now arguing over the laws of the Prontera Court. He sighed. Sometimes people never seemed to get things right.

If he had looked back just then he would have seen Emeth lift his head and stare at him for a long time.

* * *

The next morning Valkron was the first one to be up. By the time the rest had been roused and had stumbled downstairs still half-asleep, he was waiting for them in the lobby.

'Why do we have to wake up so early?' said Nocturne, stifling a yawn. 'We've got nowhere to go, right?'

'We're heading to the research institution. All of us.' Valkron took one look at them and sighed. 'Look, go dunk your heads in a barrel of ice-cold water, will you? I'm sure the receptionist wouldn't mind pointing out the way to it.'

'We're not like you, Valkron,' said Samaroh. Despite his boy's cap golden hair was still sticking out haphazardly from under it. 'We can't time ourselves, and we don't know how much sleep we need.'

'All I can say is that we didn't do much yesterday, so basically I don't see why you need sleep today. You're adults, man, not kids! Get moving!'

Luckily for them breakfast proved to be the cure for their sleepiness. They soon perked up a great deal and were talking and laughing once they left the cafe. The only one who stayed silent was Emeth, who appeared to be the only one besides Valkron to have received enough sleep. Valkron glanced at him once or twice, but he showed no emotion or any sign of noticing that someone was watching him.

They strode towards the institution - a grand structure with a single Runic word carved on its doors and painted in green. According to Emeth much later on, it meant knowledge. The morning air in Juno was crisp and the breeze blowing past was brisk. It certainly lifted the party's spirits.

Suddenly people stepped in front of them. It was the three women again. Valkron's eyes narrowed on seeing them.

'We're back, Emeth, just like we said we would,' said the rogue, tossing her hair. She was armed this time. So were her companions.

Emeth, who had been walking with his eyes on the ground the entire time, now lifted his head. He did not stop walking. Everyone else watched him as he strode past them and neared the group of women. The rogue wrapped her fingers around her dagger and tightened her grip.

And then he walked past them, his eyes staring straight ahead. He did not look around and neither did he give any sign he had seen them. Valkron frowned slightly, watching the wizard move onwards. Something was wrong.

The rogue looked momentarily shocked when Emeth passed her, before she whirled around and watched him walk on in growing anger. Then, evidently angry that he had ignored her, she leapt towards him. The dancer's whip whistled through the air. The sage began to shout a few words, and the earth behind Emeth began to shake.

The wizard turned and watched. Just as the rogue caught up with him, his arm shot out and he gripped her by the neck. She struggled, trying to kick him in the midriff, but he held her too far from him to reach. With his free hand he caught hold of the dancer's whip and yanked it out of her hands. The sage immediately stopped casting.

There was a moment where no one moved, too intent on staring at Emeth for his next move. He seemed to regard the rogue before he set her on her feet.

'I said, I don't owe you anything,' he said, smoothing out his cloak. 'Forget it. There's nothing worth paying now. It all happened a long time ago, so just let it go. Even if you think you can't, don't bother me about it. I can't help you there.'

He strode off, leaving everyone gaping at him. It was only after a few minutes that the Raulus party remembered where they were and hurried after him. By then he had almost reached the building.

Vierell and her friends turned on their heels a little while later and walked the opposite direction towards a narrow gap between two buildings. When they had reached the place a bulky silhouette emerged from the shadows. It made a sceptic sound.

'Well, what a failure you three were,' it said. 'And I thought you'd be effective on him, too. Seems like he's got a grip on himself.'

It snapped its fingers. Immediately the three of them went limp and fell to the ground, disintegrating until there was only dust.

The figure peered out. Its head was covered in a black hood. A sly grin stretched itself across its face.

'Gives me more reason to have fun, then. Maybe they'll need a nudge in the right direction...'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

alkey - thief slang for alchemists. The word 'wizzie' comes from them too.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Valkron carefully parted the slanting books and inserted the one he was carrying into the gap. He made sure its spine was in line with the rest before going to another spot along the vast bookshelves and repeating the same procedure. He had respect for books. Although he hadn't had the time to read when he was younger, he knew how much the oblong, paper, glue bound objects were worth.

Besides, the Juno librarian was a vulture. When he had dropped one by accident in an obscure, dust-filled corner she had swooped onto him and given him a lecture. Apparently she assumed that only wizards and sages read and the others were ignorant idiots. Her assistant was a complete dullard, on the contrary, and he didn't know from left to right. Valkron was sure of this. There wouldn't be the letters L and R on the backs of his gloves (and wrongly placed at that) if he had been a little more conscious.

He wandered back to the table where the rest were either sitting or standing, poring over ancient books that made them cough every time one was opened. It was a wonder that no one got sick.

'It says here that portals are considerably threatening, but it depends on what nature they are,' said Nocturne, turning over a page. 'I never knew there were so many different kinds.'

'Wizards are trained to summon them all,' said Iruna, reading aloud. Her blindfold was slung around her neck. 'That's odd. I've never seen any summoning done by wizards before.'

'Hey, whatever you think there's rules for magic too, you know,' said Emeth indignantly, his voice echoing through the empty recesses of the place. No one was around except for them and the librarians.

'Yeah, well, I thought wizards should know _something_ about them,' said Samaroh. 'I don't even know half of this stuff we're looking up, and they say that priests have the same level of education in magic along with the wizards.'

'Who's "they"?' asked Valkron, intrigued despite himself.

'They. You know. Them.'

The knight regarded this for a minute and then said, '_Oh_ yes, them. The ones who say knights should be guardians of the world and chivalrous, and assassins are murderous.'

'That's what I was talking about.'

'You guys,' said Emeth heavily, 'are given the responsibility of helping people by protecting and healing them. We do the same thing except it's more on the offensive side. Attacking, y'know? So we learn different things. What "they" meant was the standard of our--'

'Yes, all right, you don't have to go on and on about it,' said the priest, flapping a hand at him. Emeth glared at him before turning back to his book.

'People scribble in the margins too much,' said Khan, who was flipping through a book titled _The Science of the Many Wondrous Entities of the Magical World_. 'Some kind of respect they have for knowledge. We want to find out the magic that's threatening our world, not the fact that someone is an idiot. What kind of person enjoys writing "Hi I aM a pOriNg" in a magic book?'

'Idiots,' said Emeth dully, without looking up from his book.

Valkron shut the book in his hand, causing dust to billow out from between its pages and resulting in a bout of coughing from Eni. The knight hastily used his cloak to fan the cloud away.

'Sorry,' he said. 'But I just wanted to know if we're actually _achieving_ what we want, and I'm getting tired of looking through a book that makes me sneeze every time I turn a page. Anyone got any clues as to where the portal might possibly be and how to close it permanently?'

'Closing it properly is actually an easy process,' said Emeth, before anyone could say anything. He looked up from his book. Although everyone had the books they were reading on the table, he had his back to it and had placed the book on his stomach. He was the only one who looked as if he was really enjoying himself.

'And how do we go about it?' said Samaroh, in a sarcastic tone.

'Look for the source of the portal and destroy it. Most of the time the source of the portal is the creator of it, so since the creator moves about there's sure to be crystals sustaining it. Some portals use "threads" - a power from which the energy of the portal is derived, like desire.' The wizard put his leaf into his mouth. 'That's pretty much it.'

'And what if this source is very powerful?' said the priest, still using the same tone.

'Then we'll see what we can do with it. There are other ways of closing a portal as well.' Emeth gave him a look. 'And stop using that tone with me.'

'Okay, okay, we've got the closing part done,' said Valkron quickly before Samaroh could respond. 'Now all we need to know is where it is.'

'If we can find the source of the portal we wouldn't need to go to where it is, am I right?' said Eni, closing a book carefully.

'Yes,' said Emeth, scanning the pages of the book he was holding. 'Unfortunately we don't know where the source is, either.'

As one everyone looked at Samaroh, who looked up from his book at the sudden silence.

'Don't look at _me_,' he said disgruntledly. 'I know Emeth said I could detect dark magic, but right now I'm not inclined to expose myself. Dark magic does a lot of things to you, and one of them is making you go funny in the head. I'm sure you don't want that.'

'If you did that's one less trouble we have to deal with,' said the wizard.

'Will you stop it, both of you?' said Iruna irritably, looking up from the book Nocturne was showing her. 'A woman can't hear herself think with this entire ruckus. We'll have the librarian at our necks if you don't stop.'

'Like she cares,' said Samaroh, shrugging.

There was a sound of a sword sliding from its scabbard. After a few minutes Samaroh, who was in danger of toppling backwards as he leaned away from the point of the sword, said, 'Okay, I'll stop.'

'I like a fast learner,' said Valkron, withdrawing his sword and sheathing it. 'Get on with the reading. I want you to teleport us down to Geffen later on. Yes, you, Samaroh. Don't give me that look.'

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent in silence. Valkron kept an eye on Emeth and Samaroh, but there were no further conflicts from them.

Late afternoon saw them emerging from the library, shaking their clothes of dust and wiping their faces. The librarian seemed glad to see them go, except for Emeth.

'Everybody loves you,' muttered Valkron to him, as the librarian waved cheerily at the wizard.

'Well, she's stuck in there, poor thing,' said Emeth sympathetically. 'But that doesn't mean I'm inclined to stay with her for the rest of my life. I've got a future to take care of, thank you very much.'

'The book you had said that portals are normally found in hidden, forgotten places,' said Iruna, who had returned the blindfold to her eyes. 'Why is that?'

'The book said that? But one of mine suggested that portals were found where there is a wrinkle in time,' said Nocturne, looking surprised.

'Well, a book I read recorded a portal where "time does not exist",' said Khan.

'Oh yeah? Where does time not exist?'

'Samaroh, I'll be onto you in a minute if you don't watch your tone,' warned Valkron.

'How should I know? I'm not a wizard!'

'You don't have to be a wizard to know these things, am I right?'

'That's not true,' said Nocturne.

'I'm not a wizard and I know these things--'

'WILL YOU ALL STOP?!' bellowed Valkron, causing passers-by to hurry away from them. 'The next thing I'm going to do is get my peco to run over all of you! We have a wizard here, why don't you ask him instead of arguing between yourselves? And this time Samaroh stays quiet. I don't even want to hear a _peep_ from you.'

Emeth seemed to have heard all the proposals. He was considering them as they turned to him. Samaroh turned away, clearly sulking.

'We can't rule any of the theories out,' he said at length. 'But then again to narrow down our search we've got to choose the most likely theory. Mind you, they're all hypotheses. The last recorded portal that remained in existence for a period of time occurred about a thousand years ago.'

'What do you mean, last recorded portal?' said Eni.

'Portals open up everywhere at any time. But they can hardly survive the magical field here, so they collapse within minutes of formation.' The wizard rubbed the tip of his nose thoughtfully. 'This one, though - it's surviving because there's a thread holding it together, and its source is very powerful. By the way, a wrinkle in time is just another way of describing a place where time doesn't exist.'

'So it could be a hidden forgotten place where time doesn't exist?' said Nocturne.

'Could be. Then again, magic isn't an exact science so I can't say for sure.'

'You could be a teacher in the Academy with all your knowledge,' said Khan in an admiring tone.

'What, and be called a wizzie for the rest of my life? No thanks.' Emeth took out his leaf, looked at it and then put it back. 'I think we should move further down south so Samaroh can reach Geffen easier--'

'Excuse me?'

The party, except for Samaroh, turned to see a monk looking apprehensively at them. He had a shock of black hair and nervous golden-brown eyes. Valkron recognised him as the monk who had spoken to them about the poster outside Prontera. It wasn't easy to forget a paintbrush hairstyle with goggles at its base.

'Yes?' said Valkron politely.

'Um...I heard you talking about the portal thing and I was just wondering if you knew more,' he said. 'Because someone I know gave me a clue as to its whereabouts.'

'Hey, weren't you the fellow standing outside Prontera and telling us the threat was a load of balderdash?' said Nocturne innocently.

There was an embarrassed silence, which was broken by Emeth coughing. 'How did you suddenly believe in its existence, pray?' he said, bending down.

The monk took a step back. Being spoken to by a six-foot wizard was certainly unnerving for him. 'Uh...because the wizards in Geffen started complaining about fluctuations in the magical field, and then the Geffen Dungeons just...collapsed.'

'What?' said Amaru, who had been silent up till now.

'Yeah, well, there was a stampede because the monsters raged through Geffen. It took two days for the sages and wizards to clean it up. Prontera sent some of its Emergency Division knights over to deal with the remaining creatures.' The monk visibly relaxed. 'I heard about it, and then about a portal that was sending people mad.'

'Ah,' said Valkron.

'So what's it to you?' said Nocturne.

'Well, since you seemed to know so much about it--'

'Unfortunately mercenary parties can't release information they've gathered,' interrupted Valkron. 'I don't know how much you heard, but I'm sure if you spill any of it this sword of mine will be after your neck no matter where you go, mark my words.'

The monk put up his hands nervously. 'Sorry for eavesdropping. But actually I was wondering - could you take me along with you?'

Valkron looked back at his party. 'Why?'

'I don't have a party. Seriously,' the monk added, catching Valkron's look. 'I just need one, temporary like.'

'We're full,' replied the knight. 'Eight people are already in this party.'

'Look, I don't want to be caught by the Prontera knights for not having a party. That's all.'

Valkron rolled his eyes. 'My dear monk,' he said, looking at the man in the eye, 'I _am_ a Prontera Chivalry knight. Can't you recognise Chivalry-forged armour when you see it?' He held up his right arm, where the outline of a two-headed eagle had been emblazoned onto his forearm guard.

The monk gazed at it. 'Uh. Okay, I think I'll scoot.'

'Wait, wait, not so fast,' said Emeth, stepping forward. 'Valkron, give this fellow a chance, will you? I know there's the laws and everything, but you've got to relax a bit.'

'I'm not the kind of knight to forget about my duties, Emeth,' said Valkron a little severely.

'This isn't about _forgetting_ duties, it's more like...' The wizard gestured half-heartedly as if trying to shape his thoughts into a more coherent form. '...giving way for a little while. He said it was temporary. Let him, why don't you?'

The knight looked up at him, at the monk and then at his party. Then he threw his hands into the air and said explosively, 'Fine! But if you cause any trouble you are out. Understand?'

'Definitely,' answered the monk hastily.

Valkron walked off, muttering to himself. Emeth grinned apologetically at the monk. 'He's like that at first, but when you get to know him he's actually a nice person. What's your name? We can't keep calling you "the monk" every time, you know.'

'Oh yeah, sorry. You can call me Aldev.'

'What's the name we _can't_ call you?' said Nocturne curiously.

'Believe me, you don't want to know,' said Aldev darkly.

'I'm Emeth, that hunter's Nocturne - lay off the questioning, Nocturne, you're embarrassing us - the crusader's Iruna, that's Khan, the alchemist and the blacksmith next to him is Eni and Amaru, and the sulking spiky-haired guy at the back is our resident priest, Samaroh.' Emeth turned away without even waiting for a reply and shouted, 'Oi, Valkron! Wait up, will you?'

The Raulus party had to hurry after the knight, who was stridng quite fast to where his peco was waiting. Iruna detached herself from the group and hurriedly went to untie hers. Both led the birds away from the drinking trough and mounted them at the same time.

When they had reached the southern end of Juno, Valkron looked back at Samaroh.

'Get your magic, Samaroh,' he said, reining in his peco. 'We're going to Geffen. Hope you can get us there.'

'Yeah, whatever,' said the priest. Rings of light were already surrounding him as he held out his hands in front of him.

'Hey, I can teleport as well,' said Aldev. 'Here, I'll help out so your priest can take a break.'

Valkron looked around at the party. 'Then I'll go with you.'

'Include me,' said Emeth.

'Both of us as well. Your teleport can take five people with you, right?' said Khan, while Amaru made sure his cart was covered properly.

'Yeah sure, no problem there.' Aldev concentrated, and light surrounded them.

'See you at Geffen!' shouted Nocturne as both groups disappeared. Dust whirled in the draught they had created, and the wind blew through the street.

A moment later the dark prints of a pair of shoes faded from the cobbles.

* * *

It must have been sheer misfortune that Aldev's portal fell short of where it was supposed to go. Valkron vaguely remembered blurred scenery before he was suddenly wet. He wasn't the only one.

'Aldev, are you really an accomplished monk?' said Emeth, wading out of the river. Dark stains reached up to his knees. 'Seriously, Samaroh does better than you.'

'It does go awry sometimes,' said the monk apologetically, wringing water out of his robes. 'But it's never been this inaccurate.'

'Well, now it is,' said Khan, wiping his face.

Valkron looked down at himself. He too had waded out of the river as soon as he had felt the water although his head had been spinning from the after-effects of the teleport. It was that or soak for a few minutes longer. Even so he could feel water sloshing around his feet in his shoes.

'Get a fire going,' he said, looking up at Emeth. 'I'm not going to walk around leaking water everywhere and leaving a trail of water wherever I go.'

They got the fire started quickly enough and were soon standing around it. Aldev had removed his coat and had hung it on a handy branch. Emeth had done the same with his cloak, and Khan had taken off his shoes. Valkron had been forced to remove the armour below the knees. Amaru was still busy emptying water from his cart.

'Stop laughing behind your hand, Emeth,' said the knight. 'Don't pretend you weren't. I know I look odd without my shin guards, all right? You don't have to remind me.'

'Well, this is a nice thing,' said Khan, warming his hands by the fire. 'We don't even know where we are.'

'I'm not sure but we're close by, don't you worry,' said Aldev. He pointed. 'Look over there.'

The other four followed the length of his arm right up to the end of his finger. Aldev was right. The great marble, steel-tipped Geffen Tower rose majestically out of the forest, moonlight reflecting on its smooth conical surface. Even though they were probably quite far off Valkron could see the spiralling yellow dots on the tower. People - most likely wizards - were up and studying in there.

'That's heartening,' said Emeth dryly. 'If only we were there.'

'No chance of that happening tonight,' said Amaru, emptying his shoes of water. He took out a cigarette packet and took one. 'Got a light, Emeth? My matches are useless.'

The wizard sighed. 'Use the fire.'

'No thanks, it's too big.'

Emeth wordlessly leaned forward and snapped his fingers under the tip of the cigarette. Flame sparked from them and lit the cigarette.

'Nice,' remarked Amaru, inhaling.

'I still don't understand why it went wrong,' said Aldev, clearly distressed about his teleportation. 'I concentrated hard enough, and yet--'

'Stow it, Aldev,' said Khan. 'We're worried enough as it is. Don't waste your energy thinking about it - if it's done it's done.'

Valkron, who had been watching with a sceptic look on his face, sniffed and walked off towards a darker part of the clearing they were in.

'We might as well turn in for the night,' he said, sitting down on the grass. 'It'll be a long walk tomorrow. Anyone who doesn't want to sleep, don't make a sound. The person who does will be a dead man.'

With that the knight leaned against the tree behind them and resolutely shut his eyes. Aldev gave him a look of horrified fascination before picking a spot that was quite far from the fire. After exchanging meaningful looks Emeth and Khan settled down too, and Amaru followed suit shortly after.

Valkron wasn't so sure if he had been that tired, but he had dropped to sleep almost immediately after he had closed his eyes. Even after that he still wasn't too certain if he had been completely asleep, because he heard voices whispering like the wind. He was irritated by it, but somehow no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get his eyes open to see who it was. He couldn't move at all.

It was early morning when he rose. The sun was just appearing over the horizon, illuminating the ashes of the fire. Valkron frowned. Emeth's fires did not die out easily and could last a whole night if the weather was good.

He was fastening on his metal shoes when Emeth got up. The sleepy wizard blinked several times and then said, 'Why is it so damn cold? Did it rain last night?'

'No,' said Valkron. It was true, though. For some reason he had felt cold when he had got up, although there had been no rain. It was late spring, and there would be no heavy storm for a few months.

'Hmph. Ah, whatever.' Emeth got to his feet. 'My tongue feels like it's been boiled in glue. I'm going to go wash my face, so don't leave without me.'

Valkron watched the wizard disappear in the direction of the river they had landed in, and then heard a yawn from another side. Khan was getting up.

The sun was well up when the five of them set off towards the tower, shining in the distance. Valkron's peco was with them - it had got out of the river without any fuss - and now he was riding it. They moved through the forest swiftly enough, occasionally encountering a rocker or two.

After a while they encountered people. These ranged from the usual novices swiping away at their first porings to magicians tormenting dumplings to the odd wizard or sage observing nature. The latter they avoided as much as they could afford to, even Emeth, because anything that was worse than a rampaging nightmare or a stampeding mob of kobolds would be an enraged wizard or sage.

'Ah, there it is,' said Emeth, stopping to admire. 'My second home.'

They halted looked up at the white tower that graced the centre of Geffen. Valkron felt as if it had been a long time since they had come here, even though he knew they had just recently been in the city of magic.

'If Geffen is the City of Magic,' said Khan at that moment, 'then what is Juno known as?'

'City in the Air. Or City of Knowledge, if you like,' said Emeth. 'Let's go, the others are probably worried sick over us by now.'

'I highly doubt it,' said Valkron, shaking his head as he jerked the reins. His peco gave a honk as they moved on.

They took very little time to descend the steps into Geffen. Once there they looked around for any sign of the other half of the Raulus party. However, they didn't have to.

'Hey, over here!'

Valkron turned his head in the direction of the sound. Eni was jumping out and down energetically, while her lunatic happily hopped in circles around her. As one man the party drew back, clearly in horror at the similarity.

Iruna poked her head out of a nearby door, probably to see what the ruckus was all about. She lifted the corner of her blindfold and then waved, before turning to Eni and saying something which made the alchemist stop. Then she emerged from the door and walked towards them, her metal heels clinking against the cobbles underneath.

'What happened?' she asked, when she was near enough. 'Took a detour?'

'Aldev's teleport had some misdirection problems,' supplied Khan helpfully. The monk shot him a look, but he didn't see it.

'We landed in a river not far from here,' said Valkron, glancing at the assassin. 'Explains why we didn't immediately come to Geffen so we could spend the previous night here.'

'Fortunately for all of you, we booked rooms.' Iruna took hold of Valkron's arm and yanked him towards her so suddenly he nearly fell. 'Sorry, but someone needs to pass. All the inns are fully booked.'

'You could have said,' muttered the knight, rubbing his arm. A novice walked past behind him, giving him a curious look.

'Why?' said Khan, looking around. 'The place doesn't seem to be crowded. There isn't a carnival, is there?'

'No,' replied the crusader. 'But the king's ordered a massive guild raid on the Geffen Dungeons. Ten guilds are gathering in the city, and at midnight they'll be launching a united assault on the inhabitants.'

'You've got to be kidding me,' said Emeth, turning to stare at the white tower. 'What about the resident wizards and blacksmiths?'

'Most of them have moved to Prontera, though there's a few who have chosen to go to Morroc. A wise decision. We won't know how infuriated the Geffen monsters will be.' Iruna turned towards the inn. 'Come on, the others are waiting for you.'

'I say we get out of here before nightfall, then,' said Aldev, running to catch up with them.

'Go where?' retorted Iruna. 'These ancient monsters seek life force. If they sense any heading for the capital they'll try to break out of Geffen and come after it. We'll be blamed for bringing the monsters to Prontera.'

'Then why are we here? We should get out of Geffen now!'

'Wait.' Valkron stopped so suddenly that Aldev ran into his back. 'Sorry. If the monsters of Geffen desire so much to emerge from their home, won't they be heading for something similar to life force...?'

The others gazed at him. At length Emeth said, 'In Odin's name, I never thought of that.'

'Thought of what?' said Aldev.

'You're right, Valkron,' said Khan, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 'It could most likely be.'

'What if it isn't?' said Iruna.

Valkron shrugged. 'Just taking the risk.'

'What? What? What are you all talking about?' said the monk.

Emeth turned to him. 'Valkron's referring to the fact that dark magic is similar to life force, in that it's a form of power. Since the monsters want power, they'll charge straight for the portal--'

'--which will give us the location of the portal itself if we follow them,' finished Iruna.

'You've got to be mad to follow them, though,' said Khan darkly.

'True,' said Valkron, resuming his walk. 'But other mercenaries think we're mad already, so it's not going to hurt our reputation any further.'

He did not see the ludicrous looks they gave him, but they didn't see the grin on his face either.

* * *

By midday, however, they were staying in the inn for longer periods of time. People were streaming out of the gates in a sort of organized panic. The same declarations of the guild raid were put up everywhere.

'"The gates of Geffen will be closed by six",' Nocturne read out from the one posted in the lobby of the inn. '"All those who seek safety should move to the other cities before the time stated above. Prontera will gladly welcome the immigrants."'

'Makes it sound like we're at war,' said Khan, who was perched on the arm of an armchair near the hearth. Amaru was sitting in the same chair and gazing thoughtfully into the fire. A thin wisp of smoke was rising from the cigarette between his lips.

'We _are_ at war.' Emeth turned away from the window, where he had been watching the residents leave. 'At war with the portal.'

'Aw, man, why can't we leave like the others are doing?' Aldev almost wailed in despair. 'I don't want to know what'll happen!'

'If I recall,' said Samaroh in his accented tone, '_you_ said you needed a party down to Geffen. You said you wanted to know more about the portal. If you don't want to stay with us, you're welcome to leave.'

'Stop picking arguments with everyone, Samaroh,' said Iruna, who had taken off her blindfold and was now sewing a tear in her cloak. 'It's not his fault. He didn't want to get dragged into this.'

Valkron stood at the window and watched through the glass. Kafra employees were going along with the crowd. The cloaked, helmeted Geffen guards were herding everyone out, but he could see the fear on their faces. By six, he thought, the ten guilds would be here. By midnight the war will take place. Six hours for them to prepare themselves.

'What are the names of the ten guilds, Nocturne?' he said, still watching.

'Uh, hang on...' Nocturne looked further down the poster. 'the Seven Eyes, the Black Cross, Apocalypse Ultima, the Guardians of Geffen, the Legionnaires, Defenders of Prontera, the Exodus Faction, Exorcisma, The El Midor and the Odyssey.'

'The Odyssey?' said Valkron, frowning. Something else was nudging his mind, but he was too preoccupied with the name. 'Sagna's guild? It must be that good now.'

'It says here that these are the ten highest ranking guilds in Rune-Midgard,' continued Nocturne. 'Experienced veteran warriors and the like.'

'Hm. I've heard of all of the guilds,' said the knight. Whatever it was that was trying to get his attention was attempting to push his brain, but he ignored it. 'Especially The Seven Eyes guild. I know the leader of the Exodus Faction.'

'Good name,' said Emeth, inspecting his gloves. 'Has the right ring to it.'

'If I wanted to join a guild, I'd choose one with a name like that,' said Nocturne.

'Mm.' Now it was really kicking his brain.

Suddenly Valkron realised what it was. He had been so close to the glass of the window that his nose was barely a few centimetres from it. And he could see his breath fogging up the glass. The air right in front of his nose was like a permanent mist.

At the same time he became aware of a crackling sound. It was not the crackling of the fire, which was blazing cheerily in the fireplace. It was whitish-blue frost, running along the frame of the glass like cracks, right in front of his eyes.

Valkron stared at it, watching as the frost spread out its icy fingers over the glass. Then he straightened up and turned around, but before he could say anything the innkeeper emerged from the backroom, where he had been packing.

'Sorry, but I've got to go,' he said apologetically. 'You still sure you want to stay? It might become a bloodbath.'

'We've seen a lot,' answered Emeth calmly, fitting on his gloves. 'This one won't make a difference.'

The innkeeper raised an eyebrow. 'Well, I won't be staying here. Better Prontera than here, I say. Anywhere, actually, than Geffen.' He heaved his rucksack onto his shoulder and promptly left. Everyone watched him go.

'Emeth?' said Valkron.

'Yes?'

'If the portal has complete control of the magic in this world, will it disrupt the weather?'

'It's possible, yes.' Emeth looked surprise. 'Why do you ask?'

Valkron turned his head back to the window. It was now completely covered in frost. He could feel the cold radiating off it.

'Because it's doing it right now.'

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refer to chapter 6.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The lobby was very quiet. From time to time someone would throw another log onto the fire and poke it, or shift a little, but no one really dared move. Outside the sky was getting darker. The lamps in the inn were not lit, so as the hands of the clock on the wall steadily moved to the mark labelled six the room gradually darkened.

Valkron was sitting next to the window. He could see people arriving and talking in small groups. Emeth was leaning against the mantelpiece above the hearth, fingering the head of his staff, but his eyes gazed into empty space. Iruna had replaced her blindfold and was keeping her head slightly bowed. The rest either sat or stood, looking everywhere except at each other.

The warriors outside were in trouble, Valkron thought. It would be too cold for them to even think properly once it was midnight. It was what the portal wanted - more lives, more souls. He could feel its hunger through the frost on the window.

Eni shivered. 'It's getting colder now,' she said, chafing her arms. 'I can't believe those people out there can stand it.'

'Eventually they won't,' said Emeth.

Valkron kept his gaze on the guilds. Every one of their members had a badge on their chests. He could see flags being carried into the city and snorted quietly. They wanted to do a raid to curb the monsters of Geffen and they still needed morale.

There was a flag he could see, being carried by a rogue. It was black and edged wtih gold, dangling vertically as all guild flags did. On it, drawn in white, was a ship.

'The Odyssey guild is here,' he said, making people jump behind him. 'They've gathered near the tower.'

'How'd you know?' said Aldev.

'Once everyone's present they'll raise their guild flag,' replied the knight. 'The Seven Eyes has gathered too. So have Apocalypse Ultima and the El Midor.'

Emeth went over and peered out. 'You're right. I think the Blue Cross is gathering-- ah, there's its flag.'

After a few minutes or so there was a thundering on the door. Valkron rose from his seat and opened the door. A cold draught blew in, bringing in with it a few snowflakes.

A crusader stood in the doorway. It was so dark no one could see his badge, but they could see he was wearing a horned helmet and was smoking a pipe.

'Valkron! What are you doing here?' he said, nearly dropping his pipe in surprise.

'Waiting,' replied the knight.

'For what? I thought this city was cleared out.'

'Mercenary business. You know the laws.'

The crusader looked around at the silent party. 'I see. It's not going to be a nurturing experience for your party members here, though.'

'Who said we were in for a nurturing experience? We're just waiting for the attack to begin.'

'You can't go anywhere now, though. The gates of Geffen are locked shut. No one can leave the city until morning.'

As Aldev made a sound very similar to a whimper, Valkron closed his eyes and smiled. 'That's what we're doing. We want to know something. Don't worry, Adiemus, we won't join in the fighting unless we're forced to.'

The crusader gave him a look. 'I hope you know what you're doing, Valkron. You used to be a reckless swordsman back then, please don't be so reckless now. I still remember a lot of things you did for odd reasons.'

'Odd, but good, reasons, Adiemus,' said Valkron. He clapped the crusader on the back with a resounding _clonk_. 'Good luck with the raid. May Odin's spear spell victory for you and may Tyr be on your side tonight.'

'I certainly hope so.' The crusader returned the good-natured slap on the back and left. Valkron, still gingerly massaging his back, shut the door.

'Adiemus? Isn't he the leader of--'

'Yes, the Exodus Faction.' Valkron sat down, wincing. 'Tough, experienced and a solid fellow. Maybe a bit too solid. I don't know what these crusaders do for their training, they become harder than wood.'

'Valkron, what you said just now before he left...' began Iruna.

'Yes?'

'That was no ordinary send-off.'

'Well, Emeth said we were at war.'

The others were watching them like spectators at a tennis match. Iruna got up from her chair and walked over to the knight, her skirt rustling in the silence.

'But still...'

'I said, we're at war.' Valkron looked up at her. 'Is there something wrong?'

Iruna sighed. 'You sent him off with a warrior's blessing. It's not...not...'

'Not right?'

'No, it's not that. It's just not...good. A warrior's blessing for a raid?'

'This isn't just any raid, Iruna. Think about it.' Valkron jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the window. 'Those people are going to freeze to death out there. Those who are tough for the weather are going to change into beasts. And those who have enough willpower to prevent that from happening to them are going to be tormented. Well? Don't you think a warrior's blessing is appropriate for such an occasion?'

'You make it sound like they're doomed from the start, Valkron. Don't you trust them to finish the raid in one piece? Maybe they'll lose some people, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to fall to the monsters of Geffen.'

'When you think about it from a realistic point of view, Iruna, it does.' Valkron calmly turned his head towards her. 'This is war. We're not some stupid mercenary party looking for something that no one knows exists. We're out to find what's happening to our world, what's forcing its way into here to rule us all. Do you want to know why, Iruna? It's because we're warriors of the world.'

'There's no such thing as that anymore these days,' said Samaroh, from where he was sitting. 'Even the king forbids anyone to declare themselves as--'

'Shut up, Samaroh. The king can go and rot in his dungeons for all I care.' Valkron got up from his seat and faced Iruna. 'He doesn't have the right to say so. We do. We chose to be warriors. What do we fight for? Money? Love? The kingdom? None of it matters. From then on we're treating this as a real war, so if I say those people out there need a warrior's blessing then they can have it from me. Although I may not believe that they will live through the night, I believe that they will fight bravely to the end, and they'll have the strength to understand that whatever they did, they did for the world. _Do you understand?_'

The silence in the room was only broken by the crackling of the weak fire in the hearth. Then Iruna bowed her head.

'I see your point, Valkron,' she said softly. 'I cannot counter it. But you do realise that they're only human.'

'So are we. Who cares? We can't live forever.' Valkron looked away. 'All we can do is try to live longer. But in a time like this...we have nowhere to turn to. We'll welcome the blessing because when we're all alone in the cold and dark it's going to be the only thing we have that will accompany us and warm us and give us light.'

This time the silence was much longer and deeper. None of them wanted to prove Valkron wrong. Everyone knew he spoke the ultimate truth. And for the ultimate truth, there is no ultimate lie.

Iruna returned to her seat, and Valkron sat down. He looked out of the window again. Torches were blazing to life. The clock hands moved towards eight.

The knight propped up his chin with his hand and sighed. He'd always wondered about the warrior's blessing. No one had told him its true purpose. But he had found it out himself, when he had been lying in bed and remembering the last words that were spoken to him by the people who cared for him the most.

_Be strong, Valkron. Whatever happens, may Odin's spear spell victory for you and may Tyr be on your side, wherever you go_.

He sighed. It had been such a long time ago, but the memory was as fresh as if he had recently obtained it. He still remembered the silent crowd, the wall along which they stood against, blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their backs, the archers releasing their arrows all at once--

Suddenly there were screams from the outside, followed by shouting and explosions. Everyone in the room sat up immediately and stared out of the window. They could see torches waving frantically about, some being thrown and some being dropped. Light flashed in the distance, illuminating the heads of a struggling crowd. Weapons were being wielded high in the air. Occasionally there was an explosion which made the floor tremble.

'What the...' said Khan.

Valkron turned to them. 'Get upstairs, now,' he said urgently. 'Emeth, put out the fire. No one make an unnecessary sound. The raid's started earlier than we expected, and that does not sound good. What are you all staring at me for? Go!'

The party scrambled for the stairs. Emeth extinguished the fire, and both of them ran up the stairs after the rest, two steps at a time. The inn was three storeys high, so they opted for the higher floor. They didn't need to be told.

When they peered out from between the heavy curtains on the windows, they could see a dark mass crowding around the doorway of Geffen Tower. Silhouettes detached themselves from it, or joined it. It was too dark to see anything much.

'Oh my...' said Eni, looking up. Valkron followed suit.

The sky was reddish-black. Deep purple clouds swirled around the top of the tower, with dim flashes of lightning within them. There was a horrible gale whipping through the city, as the trees bent before it and a thin howling began. The crystal monument near the tower was glowing white.

Valkron suddenly became aware of the floor shaking beneath his feet. Emeth had felt it too, and was trying to look for its source. The shaking intensified until everyone had to grab hold of something to stay steady. Valkron looked out of the window just in time to see the doorway of the tower erupt outwards in an expanding cloud of bricks, cement and wood, forcing the people down below to back off.

Monsters streamed out from the gaping hole, their hideous shapes silhouetted against the burning fires that were now spreading. Valkron was strongly reminded of the time when he and Emeth had been in Geffen being administered by Samaroh. But now he knew this was the real thing, happening in front of him. This wasn't just a raid, whether it was led by monster or human.

'They're trying to break down the gates,' said Eni, her face illuminated by the fires burning across the street. 'The monsters seem desperate to get through.'

'They can feel the life force from outside,' said Emeth, peering out. 'It's much stronger than what the ten guilds can offer them. It's why the monsters are even abandoning the idea of attacking the guild warriors first.'

'Don't you think we should go down and help them?' asked Aldev nervously.

Samaroh gave him a look. 'And you were the one who said you wanted to leave.'

'I see Adiemus,' said Valkron.

'What?' chorused some of them, before they joined Valkron near the window.

The crusader had staggered out of the chaos and was clutching his head as if it was going to burst. Several others had followed suit, although there were some who were standing motionless around the tower. Yet others were still attacking the monsters charging at the main gates.

All of a sudden Emeth yelled out in pain and fell to his knees, clutching his head like they had seen Adiemus do. He seemed to be struggling with some internal battle in his mind. Valkron dropped to one knee, worried.

'Emeth, what's happening? Come on, tell me!'

The wizard opened his eyes. Valkron reeled back in horror at the sight of the glowing golden that was being emitted from them. Others cried out in shock or fear.

'Get - out,' gasped the wizard. 'I - need to - get out - of - here--'

Valkron looked up at them. He could hear voices whispering at the edge of his consciousness, and his vision was darkening, but he fought it down.

'It looks like we'll be running after all,' he said to the rest. 'All right, listen up. We're going to run straight out of here and to the nearest gate, preferably one not blocked by monsters. We'll have to break it down ourselves and let them loose, but there's nothing we can do about it. No one, I repeat, _no one_ is to help the others. The ten guilds will be fine on their own.'

'What about Adiemus, at least?' asked Aldev nervously.

Valkron turned his green gaze on him. 'Since when did you become so concerned about him? And why are you so keen on staying on in the city? If I say we're leaving, then we are! I'm the leader here! Get going!'

'But--'

The knight leaned so close to him that their noses almost touched. 'Remember who I am, Aldev? I am a Prontera Chivalry knight. I have the right and the power to write your discharge papers so if you still think you can defy me then you can kiss your mercenary career goodbye! Do you understand?'

Aldev decided to listen to the voice of authority. 'Yessir!' he said, saluting.

'Move it! I want out in thirty seconds!'

People fell over themselves to get downstairs as fast as possible, or maybe to get away from him as quickly as they could. Valkron turned back to Emeth, who was still clutching his head. His eyes were wide. The golden irises shimmered.

'Let's go, Emeth,' said Valkron, taking the wizard by the arm and hauling him up. 'Come on, use my shoulder. We're getting out of Geffen.'

He had just reached the top of the second floor stairs when there was an explosion that shook the foundations of the inn, before a massive fireball took off the third floor. Valkron bent his head, feeling the dull thuds of the wood hitting the back of his neck and hoping he would not get splinters.

It was not easy to support someone who was one foot taller than him. Valkron nearly tripped halfway down, and only saved both of them from falling by grabbing the banister with his free hand. Emeth was no longer responding - he was like a very heavy straw doll. Cursing and swearing under his breath, the knight got him to the door where the rest were waiting.

'Open it, damn you!' he said breathlessly.

'They're waiting for us, Valkron,' said Nocturne helplessly.

Valkron rolled his eyes. 'Come here, Samaroh. Get hold of this guy. It's your job for now. I'm going to have to use violence.'

The priest nearly sagged under Emeth's weight, but all eyes were on Valkron. He drew his sword and concentrated. The blade began to hum until it was consistent. Then he opened the door.

A sandman loomed out of nowhere. The knight swore and gave it a kick, which sent it sliding backwards over the cobbles. It was immediately replaced by a maddened anolian. It hissed threateningly at Valkron.

The knight swung his sword hard. There was a bright flash of light before the anolian screamed in pain, a deep gash appearing on its chest. In one swift movement Valkron plunged his sword into its chest, before pulling it out. Fire blazed along the length of the metal. The sandman was duly given a powerful blow over the head. It instinctively shrank and withdrew.

'All right, path's clear. Run!'

They ran for it, all of them. Khan took the lead as he was the fastest of the group, followed by Nocturne. Valkron hit out at any monster that attempted to strike out at them, at the same time keeping an eye on Samaroh, who was running with Emeth over his shoulder. Iruna, who was the slowest, was behind all of them.

If he wasn't wrong, Valkron thought, she would have brought the Pecos outside and hidden them somewhere in the forest. As a knight he had too much armour to run, but he made the effort. Later his legs would present the bill, but for now they needed to do as much work as possible.

They sped past menacing, horrific forms, only intent on getting to the northern gate. The shadows, human and monster alike, gibbered and shrieked at them, hitting out in an attempt to stop them. Iruna had to use her healing skills from time to time, both to heal and drive away monsters. Samaroh was getting out of breath but at least he was ahead of Valkron, who felt like he was forcing his feet.

Nocturne leapt over a seething mass of fighting monsters and fitted an arrow into his bow. Without aiming he fired at an anaconda poised to strike them, which reared as the arrow went into its eye. Blood and filth were flying through the air, but the Raulus party ignored everything. They had only one aim in mind.

As they neared the northern gate a Jakk rose out of the shadows and made a beeline for them, cackling as it raised its black cane. Valkron suddenly realised Khan was next to him.

'Let me use your back,' said the assassin breathlessly. Valkron nodded, too out of breath to answer, and slowed down. Khan took a leap. A soft shoe thudded on Valkron's back for a second before the assassin descended from above and dealt a series of swift, powerful blows to the apparition's neck, severing its pumpkin head from its body. As the headless body ran around aimlessly Khan caught hold of the head and hurled it over the crowd of fighting monsters and humans. It disappeared into the darkness.

'Good trick,' remarked Valkron, panting.

'Assassins' Guild lesson,' replied Khan before he ran to the front to help Nocturne dispatch a particularly vicious rideword.

Valkron looked around hastily. Samaroh was falling behind, clearly out of breath. The knight ran to him and gave him a shove in the back. 'Come on, you can make it!'

'The - the gate,' gasped the priest. 'It's locked - too well--'

Valkron looked ahead. The gate had a large talisman pasted across it, and no matter how much the monsters bracing it tried to charge at it the gate held fast.

'Here, I'll try,' said Eni. She took out a potion with the label DANGER FLAMMABLE SUBSTANCE and lit the wick sticking out of its cap. She hurled it with her might at the gate. There was an explosion that shook the place, but when the smoke cleared the gate was still standing, albeit sans monsters.

Valkron felt something behind him and spun aside. He was just in time - a great two-hand sword came down at where he had been a few seconds later. If he hadn't had moved he would have lost an arm.

He looked up into the mad eyes of Adiemus.

This time he moved too slowly. The blade plunged into the gap between his shoulder plates and his chain mail. He felt the cold, cruel metal cut into his flesh and a suppressed grunt of pain escaped his lips. Adiemus was grinning horribly through a red mist.

Valkron looked down at the sword in his shoulder. Blood was dripping off the blade. His blood, he thought.

He reached up and grabbed hold of the blade. twisting his hand so that the edge would not cut into his palm. Adiemus' grin left his face as the knight gripped it and pulled it out, causing a little blood to spray out. Then Valkron lifted his own sword and hit the crusader in the solar plexus with the hilt.

Adiemus doubled over. Valkron whispered, 'I'm sorry, Adiemus,' before turning around and shoving a clearly shocked Samaroh towards the gate.

'We can't get through this damn gate!' Nocturne was yelling in panic. 'Amaru, help us destroy it!'

It came as another shock when Emeth suddenly jerked to life. He got off Samaroh's shoulder and strode up to the gate. Pointing his staff at it he shouted a string of words.

There was a flare of light as fire burst forth from his staff. It crashed into the gate as a massive meteor. The gate exploded outwards in an expanding red flower of debris and metal. Everyone ran forward, clearly relieved. Valkron had great presence of mind to grab hold of Emeth's arm and yank him along, out of Geffen.

There was a cacophony of monster sounds, before the creatures poured like a river towards the gate. Valkron turned to face them, raising his sword tiredly. Emeth was standing motionless just behind him.

Just then Samaroh, who happened to be standing in front of the oncoming river of monsters, took out a blue gemstone from his pocket and held it in his hands. It rose into the air and hovered between them, emitting pure white light. Then a ring of light spread out from it as the gemstone disintegrated. At the same time the ground beneath the expanding ring of light turned white. Monsters screeched and screamed at the pure light before turning back to the heart of Geffen.

'There,' said the priest, turning to face them. 'That should hold them off for a while. Now, are we going?'

'Not too tight, Samaroh.'

'Mm.'

The priest tightened the bandage on Valkron's shoulder. 'All right, it's done. You look fine other than that.'

'Are you sure? It looks bad to me.'

'Let's just say you were lucky, Valkron.' Samaroh wiped his hands with a piece of linen before throwing it into the fire. 'Adiemus' sword barely missed your lung. Any closer and you would be in a critical condition long before we get here.'

'What about him?' Valkron jerked his head to Emeth, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. If anyone hadn't known what the party had just been through they would have assumed that the wizard was merely meditating.

'Leave him be,' replied Samaroh. 'He needs a little calming down. The magical field wavelength increased back there, so it'll take him some time to readjust himself.'

'You don't seem to be showing any effect,' said Nocturne, nursing a cut on his face.

'It's my choice whether I want to expose myself to it or not,' retorted the priest, getting up. 'Emeth cannot switch it off, because a wizard must take stock of the levels of magic at all times. Priests, on the other hand, don't need to know. We are guardians of humans; they are guardians of the world.'

'I was just asking,' said Nocturne indignantly. Samaroh ignored him and walked off with his pack. Valkron shook his head at Nocturne to warn him that further arguing would be useless.

On the other side Aldev and Iruna were seeing to the others' injuries.

'It stings a bit,' said Eni, watching the crusader heal her. 'But it's cooling at the same time.'

'I think you're too used to drinking potions, Eni,' said Iruna calmly.

'Yeah, well, at least I don't have to depend on others--'

'Ow!'

'Sorry there,' said Aldev, hurriedly moving his hand from Khan's arm. 'Is it better now?'

'Ow! No! You're making it worse! Are you really a monk?'

'I'm good at fighting. Healing is my secondary ability.' The monk grinned apologetically at Khan's expression. 'Sorry about that.'

Valkron massaged his shoulder. He had removed the plates of armour from his shoulder to let Samaroh see to it, and now he felt exposed. They were in a quieter part of the forest, with their pecos securely tethered to a sturdy tree and everyone ready to take on anything else that came their way. Still, he felt uneasy.

He looked at Emeth. The wizard was still in the same position as he had been before an hour ago. If the knight hadn't seen Emeth's chest moving as he breathed he would have thought the wizard was dead.

Valkron looked up at the innocent stars overhead. They would have many things to deal with the next day. But for now, all he wanted to was fall asleep. It had been a long day.

Gradually he did.

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A note before I sign off:

The characters have been using some of their skills - yes, the in-game ones - but people wouldn't be able to recognise them because I don't like being conventional. Here's the list so far:

(Valkron) Fire blazing along the sword, before extinguishing, but the sword is still glowing - Magnum Break

(Valkron) A technique requiring concentration and where the sword hums to give an impact on contact - Bash (weird, I know)

(Eni) Throwing a flammable potion - in mRO we call it Demonstration

(Emeth) A ball of fire in the form of a meteor - a simplified version of Meteor Storm

(Samaroh) A spell requiring a blue gemstone, and causes the ground to take on a holy attribute - Sanctuary

I don't think anyone needs any explanation for the teleport skill.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Valkron was an experienced warrior, but when he woke up the next day he was immediately struck by aching in every part of his body. He lay where he was, wincing each time a jolt of pain ran through his muscles at every little move he made. Trying to relax was out of the question.

Luckily for him Samaroh noticed he was awake and moved over swiftly. Valkron felt coolness envelope him as white light spread over him. It took some time, but when the light faded he felt much better.

'Thank you, Samaroh,' he said, sitting up and massaging his forehead. 'I must have been hit last night by those creatures.'

The priest shrugged. 'In times of battle no one really pays attention to their surroundings.'

'That, I know.' Valkron got to his feet. The wound on his shoulder seemed to be healing well and did not sting as much as it had done the night before. He nodded to the priest and took a look around him.

The clearing looked pretty much the same. Although it was late in the morning everyone was still asleep save for Samaroh, himself, Nocturne, Amaru and Emeth. Nocturne was viciously whittling away at a piece of wood, clearly making an arrow. Amaru appeared to be looking for his matches while gripping a fresh cigarette between his lips, and Emeth was leaning against a tree and staring disconcertingly at empty air. Valkron went over to him and sat down next to the wizard.

A few minutes passed. A leaf dropped from the tree above them and alighted softly on Valkron's head before sliding off his hair onto the ground between his legs. He picked it up and twirled it slowly in his fingers, scanning its green soft lamina with his eyes.

'Your eyes are the same colour as that leaf,' said Emeth quietly.

Valkron did not move, but his eyes slid sideways to look at Emeth. The man looked dull, almost bored, but he could tell the wizard was thinking.

'Really?' he said, after a little while. 'Most people tell me the green's more like emerald.'

'Emerald is lifeless, Valkron.'

The knight chuckled, closing his eyes. 'So are you, Emeth. Not so, but pretty much like it.'

At this Emeth smiled a little and blinked. His eyes immediately lost their glazed look. He looked at Valkron.

'You were wise to get out of Geffen,' he said. 'They were trying to get at us.'

'I saw that for myself,' said Valkron darkly. 'Felt it myself too, come to think of it.'

'I wonder what happened to the ten guilds,' said the wizard.

Both of them fell silent, watching the birds fly past them. There was an occasional grunt from some sleeping person. After a while Amaru got up from the ground and walked over to Emeth.

'I think I lost my matches when we were fighting last night,' said the blacksmith, in his deep voice. 'Do you mind?'

Emeth looked apprehensive. He glanced nervously at Valkron, who was watching him with interest, and looked back up at the blacksmith. It was clear he was not too confident about his magic but he did not want to refuse.

He extended an arm slowly. Amaru was holding his cigarette low enough for him to reach it. The wizard half-turned his head away and seemed to lean as far away as possible from his fingers, the tips of which were right under the end of the cigarette, as if he was expecting an explosion to come from it. Valkron leaned away from him, and even Amaru looked as if he wanted to run.

Emeth grimaced in apprehension, and, as he did, snapped his fingers.

A small flame burst into life at the tips of his fingers. It lasted only for a second or two, but it was enough. The end of cigarette glowed red and a thin wisp of smoke emerged from it. Emeth dropped his arm with an expression of relief.

'Thanks,' said the blacksmith, and moved away to rejoin his cart and the sleeping form of Khan next to it.

'What were you expecting?' asked Valkron, as Emeth rearranged his cloak.

'I don't think you understand what happened last night, but I'll try to explain.' Emeth exhaled. 'You do remember that I told you whoever was controlling the portal offered me power beyond what anyone has ever imagined?'

'Yes.'

'It happened the last night. Again.' Emeth flicked off a beetle that was crawling up his knee.

'Wait, I thought when your eyes glowed it meant you were experiencing the fluctuations--'

'Yeah, you're right there. Large surges of magic cause my eyes to glow. But besides that,' here the wizard looked around nervously and lowered his voice, 'I become stronger.'

Valkron looked around them. Samaroh was reading and taking notes at the same time, the tip of his tongue sticking out as he concentrated. Amaru was peacefully smoking on the other side of the clearing and Nocturne was examining his greatbow. No one was close enough to hear what they were talking about.

He turned back and said, 'So?'

'I'm telling you, it's not the kind of magic wizards are used to, all right?' Emeth sighed. 'There's a kind of magic called infernal magic. It was used during the time of the Old World by necromancers, demonlords and whatever that walked the world once. Thankfully all those are gone, but there's a rumour that Rune-Midgard will get thrown into chaos again and all of it will come back.'

'Are you telling me that this is what's happening right now?' asked Valkron.

'Well, if no one stops it, yes.'

'And why are you getting it?'

Emeth rolled his eyes. 'Do I have to repeat what I've said for--'

'All right, I know, the portal offered you power, yes, yes, I know. But why _you_? Why not, say, Samaroh? He uses magic too.'

At this the wizard blinked at him. For a minute or two they stared at each other. Then the red-haired man looked down and muttered something.

'What?'

'There's a difference between me and Samaroh, you know.'

'Yes, I know. You're less irritating than him.'

'No, not that. Thank you, but not that.' Emeth looked like he was torn between hitting Valkron on the head with his staff and being grateful. 'I...priests are trained to, you know, have pure hearts and pure minds, and are generally, uh, "clean" of sins, you dig?'

'Yeah, I do.' Valkron frowned. 'But that doesn't necessarily mean it picks you just because you're a sinner--'

'No, that's not what I meant. Actually, I think the portal reveres sinners, so that doesn't--'

'Then the portal's chosen you because you're a sinner?'

'Will you stop interrupting me and listen?' snapped Emeth. Valkron jerked back at the loudness of his voice. Luckily for both of them there was a loud splitting snap just then and Nocturne yelped in pain, drowning out Emeth's voice.

Everyone looked at the hunter. He was holding his greatbow in one hand and staring at the other. The bowstring had snapped and was dangling forlornly from the other end of the bow. Nocturne's other had, meanwhile, was covered in blood.

Samaroh clicked his tongue in reproachfulness and got up from his place. 'Could you be a bit more careful? I thought hunters generally know when their bowstrings are worn out.'

'I was checking but I hadn't reached that part yet,' retorted the hunter, looking at his bloodied hand. 'Will you get over here a little faster? Blood's running down my arm.'

'Well, it's your fault for being so careless.'

As an argument started Valkron turned back to Emeth. 'All right,' he said slowly, 'I'm sorry. I'll hear you out this time. You can continue.'

The wizard gave him a look and said coldly, 'Then sit back down and don't alert the others as to what's going on between us.'

'I don't think anyone's going to listen in on our conversation,' said Valkron, gesturing over his shoulder at the arguing hunter and priest. Amaru was watching them dully, still pulling on his cigarette. 'But I'll do what you want, okay? Just don't yell. The rest still need to sleep.'

Emeth exhaled. 'Fine.' He settled down and re-crossed his legs. Valkron waited patiently as he arranged his cloak.

'As I was saying, the portal reveres sinners. It's just that sinners...don't make good tools. Sinners are rebels by nature, I guess.' The wizard made a feeble gesture. 'Like I used to be. What the portal wants is to use _anyone_, sinner or no, to help it gain power by killing and obtaining souls and lives. The only way the portal can break into someone's mind is to find any weaknesses, any...openings that it can pry open and expose to the world, before bargaining with the person.'

'Whatever for?' said Valkron, taken aback.

'In exchange for hiding those secrets no one ever wants to tell, the portal offers power to solve them. Like, say...okay, let's take an example. Let's say there's someone whose parents were murdered in the past, when they were small. They witnessed the murder. Then when the murderer is convicted the court can't prove that it really was the murderer and not just an accident or something...I'm sorry, I'm not very good with court proceedings--'

'You don't have to say sorry, everyone isn't good with them,' said Valkron evenly, as Samaroh ended the argument by yanking Nocturne's bandage tightly. 'I know what you're trying to say. Go on.'

'Oh, all right...so the person grows up harbouring negative emotions. Anger, hurt, frustration, you get what I mean. The portal uses these emotions as weaknesses, by offering them the power to avenge their parents. Do you see now?'

Valkron did. He could understand now why Sagna had been such a vulnerable target. The younger knight had been jealous of him, and the portal had attempted using him to get rid of his former mentor.

'Why are we talking about the portal here, though?' he asked. 'I thought it would be up to the creator to do the job.'

'The creator just creates the portal,' said Emeth, shrugging. 'Basically once the portal has its roots into whatever it's feeding off its creator doesn't matter anymore.'

'And that would mean if we don't find and kill the idiot who started everything the portal will be eventually independent?'

'Could say,' said Emeth, nodding thoughtfully. Samaroh had returned to his place and Nocturne was now gingerly rummaging around in his pouch by now.

Valkron sighed in exasperation. 'I think we're already dead.'

'Wait, wait, hold it,' said the wizard. 'Killing both creator and portal stops any similar event reoccurring in the future. Maybe it won't be so hard to defeat them, anyway.'

'You know, when people say things like that I start mistrusting them immediately,' remarked Valkron, giving Emeth a look.

'We'll come to that later, I guess. Right now what really matters is to ensure that none of us turn against each other. The portal can easily mince us if we do.'

There was a silence. Valkron reflected on this new piece of information during it, while Emeth chewed on his leaf. Then he said, very slowly, 'How many of us here suffer from similar experiences and harbour such emotions?'

There was another silence. Then Emeth said, 'You know, I wish you hadn't asked.'

Valkron felt alarm rising within him. Although the members of his party had gone through so much they still hardly knew each other. Without knowing them he would not be able to protect them when the time came, let alone they protect themselves.

'Don't worry, Valkron,' came Emeth's voice through his thoughts. 'It's most likely that none of these happy-go-lucky people suffer like that.'

Valkron turned to answer him, but the wizard had already got up and sauntered off to look at something on a tree. He turned away, Emeth's words echoing in his mind. He felt deeply troubled, because the echoes were resonating with something he had tried to forget - something that had left him scarred for thirty years. Something that prevented him from being what he truly was.

_You're wrong, Emeth_, said the little calm voice in his head. _You're a happy-go-lucky person yourself and you're already denying the truth. What's on the outside don't matter, compared to what's on the inside._

Valkron sighed and got up. He dusted his cloak and looked away towards the smooth white spire of Geffen Tower, reflecting sunlight in the midst of the thick smoke rising past it.

'Everybody will deny ever being affected by whatever happened in their lives,' he said to himself softly. 'No one will tell the truth. Unfortunately, that includes me, and the only thing I'm denying is myself.'

* * *

Late afternoon saw the entire Raulus party and Aldev awake and preparing to leave the clearing. Valkron fed his peco and listened to the conversations around him. Iruna saddled her own peco next to him, but neither of them exchanged any words. Valkron felt that there was nothing to say, and maybe Iruna had nothing to say to him either.

They set off for Geffen with their weapons drawn. Nocturne had left his greatbow unstrung; instead he carried his hunter's crossbow. Valkron and Iruna rode with their swords drawn. Even Aldev had armed himself with a pair of heavy knuckles. The only one who had not drawn a weapon or was holding one was Amaru, who sauntered casually at the rear of the procession with his hands in his pockets and his cigarette between his lips.

The Raulus party soon neared the top of the nearest staircase that descended into the city. Then suddenly and erratically everyone halted in their tracks. Valkron was the only one who did not stop, and he soon realised that he was unaccompanied.

He turned his peco around to face the other eight. They were looking apprehensive. Even Emeth did not look too confident.

'What, you're all just going to stand there?' remarked the knight dryly.

'Why are we returning to Geffen?' said Eni in a nervous voice, weighing her axe in her hands. 'What is there to do in the city? Everyone's dead, aren't they?'

Valkron rolled his eyes. 'And I thought I was the only pessimist here. Look, the dead ain't gonna walk up to you if you're just going to wait for me. Even if there aren't any survivors, which I plan on disproving, we still have to bury those who fell in the battle last night. It isn't about honour or glory or whatever, it's,' he sighed, 'something you do that shows you're still human.'

The party appeared to consider this before Emeth stepped up, followed by Samaroh. Khan and Iruna did the same a second later.

'Only you people? Fine by me.' Valkron turned his peco to face the staircase into Geffen 'Keep in mind I'm not interested in protecting those who decide to stay out here once I'm out there, all right?'

As he rode forth he started counting under his breath. When he reached seven, he heard Eni huff and say, 'Damn you, Valkron,' before the rest moved forward as well. He grinned to himself.

They passed through the gate they had broken down the previous night. A scene of carnage met their eyes. It was similar to the monastery massacre, except that there was a lot more blood and a lot less complete corpses around.

Aldev took one look and ran out of the gate, his hand over his mouth. Valkron wrinkled his nose at the cocktail of stenches of rotting flesh and clotted blood. Emeth was covering his nose with his hand and looking around.

'By the gods,' he said. 'Whatever happened here?'

There did not seem to be a living soul in sight. Only birds twittered in the forest around Geffen while vultures circled low over the city. Blood was splattered here and there so thickly Valkron could have scraped it off in one thick layer if he had cared to try. Since his peco was touchy about the mess he dismounted and stepped forward, careful not to step on the coagulated pools of red everywhere.

'I can't see anything,' voiced Iruna from her mount, 'but I can imagine it just by the smell.'

Valkron looked at the priest, who had knelt down next to a decapitated corpse. 'Samaroh, go and see if there are any survivors. Try to quicken your pace, I'm planning to leave this place by nightfall.'

Samaroh nodded in reply and got up. As he carefully picked his way through the muck the knight looked at Emeth, who looked back at him. 'Should we burn the bodies or bury them?'

Emeth shrugged. 'Burning the bodies is a bit disrespectful, but then again none of us would want to drag each and every body - or maybe every body part - out of this into the forests.'

'So I guess we'll burn the bodies.' Valkron squinted at the scene before him again. 'If we don't this place is going to be an open graveyard. Okay, get everyone together. Where's Aldev?'

'Outside the gate.'

'Hm. Get him to stop throwing up and instead help us out build a massive funeral pyre. None of us will have to touch anything,' he added, seeing Emeth's expression.

'You mean I'm going to have to use my magic to do the work,' said the wizard. 'All right, all right, I'll get down to it.'

Valkron was watching Emeth run back the way they came to the gate when he heard a shout. He turned to see Khan beckoning him over and went to see what the matter was.

'What's up, Khan?' he said, once he'd reached where the assassin was kneeling.

Khan looked at something. Valkron followed his gaze and realised that a crusader was lying in a pool of blood. Everything had been pretty much red and black until he could hardly distinguish anything from the ground.

It was Adiemus. And he was still alive.

Valkron knelt down as well and reached out. He propped up Adiemus' head and shook him very gently. The man was bleeding slowly and Valkron could not tell how much time he had left to live, but he hazarded a guess at 'little'.

The crusader opened his eyes, breathing laboriously. The knight bent over him and looked straight into his face, which was not a sight for the faint-hearted. Dried blood crusted most of his face and he had a broken nose. Blood trickled slowly from the corner of his mouth as he looked blearily into Valkron's eyes.

'Valkron...'

His lips barely moved as he whispered the knight's name. Valkron leaned closer despite the strong smell of iron coming off the bloodied crusader.

'We have a priest here,' he said softly. 'He'll be along in a moment.'

Adiemus shook his head slightly and whispered, 'It's not...required. We were...doomed from the moment...we stepped into Geffen.' He took a shuddering breath. Valkron could feel his effort to stay alive.

'You don't deserve this, Adiemus,' said the knight.

'No. No one...here did.' The crusader gestured weakly around him. 'But then...maybe it was...our fate to die here. We cannot...change fate.' He reached out and took Valkron by the shoulder. 'Our world...is dying. It is time...we humans...stepped down.'

'Why are you saying this, Adiemus?' said Valkron urgently. 'It isn't you to give up so easily.'

A half-smile appeared on the crusader's face, but it lasted only for a minute. 'It isn't...you either. Look...to the skies. Maybe...you, with all your life, can...save us all. I trust you, Valkron...I do...'

His voice trailed off before he took another shuddering breath and grew limp. His hand loosened its grip on Valkron's shoulder and fell to his side. Valkron watched as Adiemus closed his eyes forever.

After a while Khan tried to see Valkron's face. The knight had lowered his head until his white hair was completely obscuring his face from view.

'Valkron?' said the assassin tentatively.

The knight raised his head, his face bearing a closed expression. 'Tell the others to gather firewood and hurry up with the job. We've got to return to Prontera to inform the Chivalry. Besides,' he held his hand up to his face, 'I can see my breath again.'

* * *

Before nightfall the party had moved out of Geffen, leaving a thick pillar of smoke rising into the air behind them. Even when they were quite some distance from the city they could still hear the great funeral pyre crackling away as it burned flesh and bone into ashes.

Valkron had ordered a separate place for carcasses. Not many were littered around the city in comparison to the bodies that lay everywhere, but moving them from their places was a task close to impossible due to the stink. Finally Emeth had wordlessly used telekinesis to move them. No one complained, however - even if they could not understand why people were wont to return to a place of carnage to bury or burn bodies they, like Valkron, had preferred showing the dead some respect by separating them from the animals' carcasses.

'When they were under control they behaved like beasts,' Valkron had said, when Eni had objected to the separating. 'But in death they died as humans. I will not deny them their right. If they died like warriors, then let them be burned as warriors who fought valiantly for their world.'

'I thought you never believed in all this death-or-glory stuff,' Samaroh had pointed out.

'I don't.' Here Valkron had turned around and given the priest a look that made him back off. 'But in times like this other people do. It's not just about me. That's what makes me a knight, Samaroh.'

Now they moved on in silence. This time they did not stop for a rest; instead they journeyed straight east to Prontera without delay. Nocturne scouted in front of them; behind them Khan kept an eye out for interfering monsters.

They arrived in Prontera by dawn to find the entire city in an uproar. Civilians were moving out frantically, bringing whatever they could carry with them, while knights and crusaders herded them, shouting out instructions. Valkron did not stop, however. He simply rode through the throng towards the Prontera Chivalry.

A knight stepped in front of Valkron and drew his sword. 'Hold it, mercenary!' he commanded. 'What rights have you to come here? The residents of Prontera require aid, go and provide it!'

Valkron leaned past his peco's head. 'Well, if it isn't Anvar. Move it.'

'As a knight of Prontera I--'

'As a knight commander of the Mercenary Knights' Battalion I have every right to do as I please,' said Valkron in a clear, loud voice. 'Move aside, Lieutenant Anvar, and I may put in a good word to your superior about you.'

The knight who was still holding his sword up took a second look at Valkron and promptly dropped his sword. 'By Odin's name...I - I apologise with greatest sincerity, commander!' He hastily bowed his head and then ripped off a salute. Valkron snorted.

'I don't have the time to deal with this tripe, lieutenant,' he said, raising his voice over the sounds in the city. 'Move it! I bring urgent news to Prontera!'

Anvar quickly stepped aside. Valkron dug his spurs into his peco's side. Immediately the bird reared with a squawk and charged forward towards the doors of the Chivalry. The knight himself drew his sword and, as the bird reached the doors, swung his sword in front of him. The doors crashed open and he rode in. The rest of the party followed, Aldev a tad reluctant.

The Chivalry was teeming with knights and crusaders. Orders were being shouted across the great entrance hall while grinding sounds indicated that the Chivalry blacksmiths were doing last-minute work before they packed up. Swords were held up and examined and spears stood out above everyone. Rickety desks arranged haphazardly in the hall were fronted by shouting, harried armoured warriors. Amidst the rush Valkron rode in, a picture of calmness.

It was a moment that none of the party behind Valkron could forget. As the knight rode through the hall towards a burly knight overseeing the proceedings at the other end, the noise died away. Everyone paused and turned their heads as he went past. Blacksmiths halted in their work to stare at Valkron. Every sound was suddenly inferior to the thudding of the peco's taloned claws and the jingling of Valkron's mail. Every colour faded into the background while he became the focus of attention. It was as if the Raulus party were seeing him in a entirely different way.

Valkron rode up to the knight, unperturbed by the sudden silence. When he was about five feet away he brought his steed to a stop. He swiftly dismounted and strode up to the burly knight.

'Mercenary Knight Commander Valkron,' he said, removing his visor and tucking it under his arm before saluting with the precision of a machine. 'I bring news of the ten-guild raid in Geffen.'

'You have my permission to speak,' said the knight in front of him, nodding.

'I report that the raid has ended with no confirmed victory. No survivors, sir.' At this whispering filled the hall. 'Geffen is lost.'

As several knights behind Valkron looked around at each other in shock, Valkron's superior narrowed his eyes. 'What of the other cities?'

'I have no news of the others, sir. However, I also wish to inform the Chivalry of the massacre that took place in the monastery.' Valkron had to raise his voice over the increased whispering. 'Juno and Al de Baran are safe - for now.'

The burly knight considered this while the others began to discuss this new piece of information. Valkron stood at attention and stared straight ahead, waiting for an answer.

Finally the knight said, 'Very well. We move everyone out of Prontera to Juno. If we are lucky whatever unseen forces that are throwing out world into chaos will not be able to reach Prontera--'

'Sir, I do not wish to interrupt,' said Valkron briskly, still staring straight ahead, 'but the weather is changing. The children and the old will not be able to stand the dark winter coming for us. Prontera is a well-stocked fortress on its own.'

'I make the orders around here, Valkron, not you,' said the knight. 'Whatever I feel is best for the city will be done. Now go and help out at the southern gates. I will--'

'The portal will not allow humans to live until it has been destroyed,' said Valkron, and this time his party members picked up a very slight hint of despair in his voice.

There was silence. Then a few titters echoed through the hall, before some knights burst out laughing, while others sneered. The burly knight himself had raised a sceptic eyebrow.

'Portal? There is no such thing as a portal in Rune-Midgard. We are simply being plagued by enraged monsters once again. Leave this place, Valkron, or stand to lose your title. I will not have this nonsense under the roof of the Chivalry.'

'He speaks the truth,' said Emeth loudly, silencing the crowd. 'If you do not believe him you will have failed in your ultimate goal to protect the people of Rune-Midgard.'

The crowd waited with baited breath. Even Valkron was barely breathing. He was sure that in the entire history of the world there had been no such record of a King's mercenary wizard reprimanding a general of a Prontera Chivalry battalion. Until now, possibly.

The knight looked down at him. 'A friend of yours, Valkron? Or merely an accomplice to force us to remain here and eventually be slaughtered by rampaging monsters?' He strode towards Valkron, who had braced himself, until they were standing face to face.

'We have not received reports on such a portal from the others, and even if there were such a thing it poses no threat to us,' he said, his voice echoing through the hall. 'There is no proof that such a...a _fantasy_ exists in this time and age. No, we do need to rely on the words of a wizard either - as much as they know they have no idea how to handle the situation of protecting the people. We, as knights of the Chivalry, must stand by our duty to send our people to the safest place possible. Whatever temptation or evil that compels you to hinder our progress, Valkron, we will not be stopped from what we believe is the best for our world. Now, move it! I want Prontera empty by tonight!'

The crowd around Valkron resumed its bustle. The general strode past Valkron but stopped next to the silent knight.

'Others may think highly of you, commander,' he said, so quietly that only Valkron heard it, 'but the knights and crusaders of Prontera know you for who you truly are. Nothing will change that.'

He strode off, leaving Valkron to stare despondently at the great flag displaying Prontera's shield hanging from the rafters.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

'He's thinking,' said Emeth.

As one man the Raulus party turned to look at Valkron. Then they looked back at Emeth.

'How can you be sure?' said Eni.

'I'm sure,' said Emeth, staring ahead.

They looked back at Valkron, and then turned to look at Emeth again.

'People think like that?' said Samaroh.

'He's different,' said Emeth, still staring stonily ahead.

Turn. Stare at Valkron. Turn. Stare at Emeth.

'Are you sure?' asked Nocturne.

'Yes. He's thinking.' Emeth seemed to be focusing on a point just above the bustling crowd and he didn't look as if he was going to remove his gaze from there anytime soon.

They looked back to Valkron again. After the Prontera Chivalry had emptied Valkron had turned on his heel and strode out of the place, fixing his visor back on. His peco had hurried after him. His party, also not wanting to be left behind, scuttled after him.

Once outside he had simply walked into an alley situated between the Chivalry and another building. He had chosen to take a seat on a large crate and now he was staring at the opposite wall. His face was as blank as it had been in the Chivalry.

The Raulus party assumed that since Emeth had been the first one to join Valkron the wizard was his aide and knew the knight well. Their hopes were dashed. Emeth was now looking out at the crowd streaming past the alleyway, but it was clear he wasn't focusing on the people.

No one dared say anything to Valkron. After what had happened in the Chivalry they were not so sure as to how the knight would react if anyone disturbed him from his thinking.

The cobbles under their feet trembled as people rushed past. Prontera's residents were evacuating the city from three directions – north, south and east. The western gate had been locked and sealed. There was no hope to be found in Geffen now.

Eni rubbed her upper arms and shivered. 'It's getting a lot colder now,' she said, breathing white mist. 'Why is this happening now, of all times?'

'No one said it was going to be an easy life being a mercenary,' said Iruna evenly.

'No, I meant why do we have to be here or anywhere else when a portal opens up?' said Eni. 'This downright sucks, I tell you.'

Khan sidled over to Emeth. 'Excuse me for bothering you,' he whispered politely, 'but we found Adiemus in Geffen and before he took his last breath he asked Valkron to look to the skies. Why is that so?'

At this the wizard turned his gaze at the sky. Still looking at it, he said, 'For you it just looks stormy, but to be honest with you the sky's the one showing us how much time our world has left. From what I see we've got about a month left and that's on the outside, mark my words.'

'On the inside?' asked Khan worriedly.

'I'd give it about three weeks.'

'Then we can't just stand around here and wait for Valkron,' said the assassin. 'We've got to do something.'

'What, exactly? No one's going to bloody believe us on this.' Emeth removed his gaze from the sky and looked at Khan. 'It's up to Valkron to make the next move. He's the leader, at any rate.'

'Yeah, well, there just isn't time to waste.'

Emeth jerked his head to the silent, motionless knight. 'That's probably why he's thinking so deeply. He's not entirely stupid, Khan. Maybe he can be a bit reckless, but ultimately he's doing everything he can for other people, not for himself.'

'And how'd you know _that_?'

The wizard shrugged. 'It's so far the only thing I know about him.'

Between Khan's sakkhat and mask, the brown eyes were giving the wizard a look. Emeth half-smiled apologetically. 'Sorry,' he added. 'I'm not well known for my social skills.'

'Who is?' Much to Emeth's surprise, Khan took off his sakkhat and pulled down his mask. He had done this several times, but not in front of everyone and certainly not in the public.

'What the--'

'I'm just going to wait,' explained the assassin. He heaved himself up onto a a stack of tow crates. Emeth felt like he was talking to a teacher - Khan's mouth, when not in use, was straighter than a ruler.

He looked back at Valkron, who was still gazing blankly at the wall opposite him. A slight movement caught his eye. Iruna had pulled up a corner of her blindfold and was looking at the knight too. She noticed Emeth looking at her and shrugged before replacing her blindfold and assuming her stately pose.

Suddenly Valkron sighed and got off the crate. Everyone looked expectantly at him.

'We head out to Payon with the southbound batch,' he said, straightening his visor. 'No weapons are to be drawn, neither any spells cast. I want every one of you to refrain from doing anything other than living and existing, got it? Unless it's necessary.'

'Whatever for?' said Samaroh, turning to watch as Valkron walked past him. 'It's not as if we've got anything to do when we're with them, unless there's some healing involved--'

Valkron turned on his heel and walked back to Samaroh. He leaned towards the priest and said in a low voice, 'I hope I don't have to repeat myself, Samaroh. Don't question my orders. I'm getting tired of your constant questioning as it is. _I_ decide if it's necessary or not.'

Samaroh backed off, but he unwittingly said, 'I'm not one of your knights.'

So? You're still one of my party. Either way you're still under me.' Valkron shot him a look that promised a kill. 'Let's go.'

The knight strode out of the alleyway and mounted his peco as if nothing had happened. His party was still staring after him but they were now used to these sudden departures and it took them a much shorter time to respond to his movements. They hurried out and after him as he made his way through the crowd, heading purposefully for the southern gate.

'Does he always act like this?' asked someone next to Emeth. The wizard looked around to see the monk Aldev.

'You're still here? I thought you'd left us already,' he said, looking surprised.

'Ah, well...' Aldev scratched the back of his head apologetically. 'I pretty much figured that I'd rather stick around with you guys, if it's all the same to you.'

'I'm not the leader here,' said Emeth. 'Valkron is.'

'Right now I wouldn't want to talk to him. He seems to be a bit...short-tempered at this moment.'

Emeth nodded. 'Fair point. But you _do_ understand I'm not his assistant or anything of that sort. I've never seen someone who's so detached before.'

Aldev frowned. 'Detached from what?'

Emeth shrugged. 'My best guess would be the entire human race.'

* * *

The south gate was chock full of people struggling to get out as fast as possible. There was only one knight trying to organize them compared to four at the other gates. He was shouting hoarsely over the heads of the civilians, trying to make himself heard over the cacophony of crying, yelling and talking.

Valkron rode up to him. The knight made one last valiant effort to stop a small family from elbowing people aside before he gave up and turned his attention to the older knight. 'Yessir!' he sad, saluting.

'Why don't you get a peco to stand in the middle of the gateway?' asked Valkron coldly. 'Although there won't be much space left for people to move at least you'll have some control over them, right?'

'Well, sir...all the pecos have been taken,' replied the knight apprehensively.

'There are pet pecos running wild over the city. Use one of them.'

'Uh...I can't leave this gate, sir, till everyone's through.'

Valkron gave him a look that made him cringe. 'Obeying your superiors to their very last word...I don't know which one is more depressing: the fact that the seniors are so stubborn or set in their ways, or that the younger ones are known for their culpable stupidity. Iruna, block the gateway.'

'Whatever you say, Valkron,' said the crusader calmly, and rode forward.

Crusader pecos were trained to take the much heavier weight of their riders. It not only meant that getting a stomp on the foot from one would result in said foot being flatter than paper, but also that they were solidly built with a greater body mass and very unmovable. That was why the Chivalry kept riot Might pecos - these pecos were dressed in armour and once lined up across a street would prove to be one of the toughest barriers ever created. Valkron had witnessed the riot Might pecos in action before, so he knew how firm they could be.

Although Iruna's peco was not one of the riot pecos it was still pretty difficult to push past it. Iruna seemed to give the impression that she was enjoying herself as people tried to push past her peco. Finally the crowd became two lines. The gaps on either side of the peco were far too small to allow more than one person to pass the gate. Strangely enough the southbound batch was evacuated faster than the other batches.

'Thank you, sir,' said the young knight gratefully, as Valkron rode past him. The older knight nodded briefly and went out of the gates, his party following behind and exchanging looks between themselves.

The journey to Payon was silent except for the forest sounds and the occasional crying of a child or baby. Valkron rode in the midst of the crowd, his head held high and his gaze stern and fierce. The rest of the party kept up behind him, looking around nervously. Although there were eight knights and two crusaders guarding the crowd they still felt uneasy about travelling south. Besides that, many people were giving them looks, especially Emeth because of his height.

'Do you think Valkron's trying to impose a draconian image on the civilians?' whispered Eni to her brother as they walked.

Nocturne shrugged. 'Beats me. I have a feeling he always looks like that in front of people, though.'

'Maybe it _is_ necessary for him to look like that,' said Khan in an undertone so that Valkron would not hear. 'Isn't that what a knight's supposed to do?'

'Hush there,' said Iruna, who was riding behind Valkron. 'I don't think Valkron follows normal knight principles, so leave him be. It's up to him to say what makes him the knight he is.'

Samaroh huffed. 'Personally I think he's just showing off.'

No one replied to this, but Emeth promptly struck him across the back of his head with his staff. Samaroh opened his mouth to protest, but the wizard pointed the staff threateningly at him so he shut his mouth and walked on sullenly. People were staring at the four of them again.

If it was cold in the day, it was even colder at night. What made matters worse was that there was a dry, harsh wind sweeping through the forest. The leaves in the trees whispered as the trees themselves shook their heads. The ten soldiers from the Chivalry set up camp in a large clearing and soon there were rows of tents with small campfires burning here and there.

'How far are we from Payon?' asked Eni, while the Raulus party gathered around one of the guttering fires to keep warm.

'I think we're halfway there,' replied Emeth, warming his hands. 'We should be. Everyone made good progress today.' He looked at Eni. 'Do you want to borrow my cloak? You're shivering.'

'Nah, I'll be fine.' Eni didn't really look fine when she said it, but Emeth was not the kind of person to press people. She bent down and rummaged around in her cart before pulling out a long thick traveller's cloak. 'This isn't for sale, I keep this to warm myself on winter nights.'

'Oh. Okay.'

'Would anything attack us out here?' asked Aldev nervously. Out of the eight of them following Valkron he had been the one who was the most uneasy with his surroundings. Emeth had had to spend several minutes explaining to him that there was no point in fearing the forest around them when there were so many knights and crusaders already on their job.

'Whta do _you_ think?' said Samaroh.

'Uh...yes?'

'You downright suck, Aldev,' said Khan in disdain. 'What kind of monk are you? How in the world did you ever become a monk with that kind of behaviour, anyway?'

The monk kept silent, his face reddening. No one else said anything.

The only one who was not standing around the fire was Valkron. He had gone to attend a small meeting between the ten soldiers of the Chivalry.

The meeting went like this:

'For now we'll have to set up lookouts,' said a knight. 'The night will be long and it's already freezing as it is. We need volunteers to take on the night watch and the welfare of the people.'

'That means we'll have two of us on shifts, no matter what time of the night?' said a crusader. When the knight nodded the crusader said, 'I'm afraid that two people won't be enough, though.'

'Two people will be sufficient for this small group we're escorting, Edell,' said the crusader next to him. 'Although they're spread out it's easy to see them from here. No one will miss a thing.'

'It'll be a good idea to keep moving,' said the first knight. 'And someone has to constantly keep the fires lit.'

'Can't the people do that, Redova?' said Edell, looking apprehensive.

'They'll be asleep, Edell. They'll need energy for tomorrow's journey.'

'He's got a point, Edell,' voiced the second crusader patiently. 'No one's going to be willing to carry an entire family on their pecos, you know.'

'But you know how it is, Anox,' said Edell. 'What if we miss a fire?'

'As I said, we won't miss a thing,' answered Anox patiently.

'He's right, though.'

The ten of them turned to look at Valkron. He had his arms folded and was looking from face to face.

'He's right, to a certain extent,' said Anox. 'But that extent doesn't seem like it applies to the current situation, sir. If we deal with this in an organised way we'll be safe from anything that comes our way.'

'We don't know what we might meet on the way,' said Valkron. 'The monsters are much stronger now, and even though we've got a reasonable number of warriors here I don't know if we can stand up to a hundred-strong force of orcs or an army of kobolds. I say we all stay up and watch. Those in charge keep watch or do whatever you're supposed to do. The rest of us watch them and each other. We can't risk anything at this stage. These people are unprotected and they need help from us.'

The ten of them looked at each other. Then Redova said, 'But we too need rest.'

'I thought you underwent endurance training,' said the knight commander, raising an eyebrow. 'How many hours did you take before falling asleep involuntarily?'

Redova winced. The endurance training was evidently still fresh in his mind. 'About ten hours, sir.'

'If you can withstand ten hours you can withstand this one,' said Valkron dismissively. 'Back then the Chivalry wanted knights who didn't need to sleep for a few days. You all are just lucky they lowered the standard. All right, we divide the camp into ten divisions. I'm assigning each of you to one. You'll have to keep an eye on the fires and look out for each other while guarding your own place.'

The knights and crusaders looked at each other again, but it was clear that they had no other ideas. Valkron promptly took over then, speaking quickly and to the point about their duties. Within less than half an hour they were stationed at their posts.

Valkron went back to the party. It was late. He could see several of the Raulus party sleeping wherever they could, so he trod the ground softly as he passed them. There would be no point waking them up.

Finally he came to where Emeth was sitting cross-legged. The wizard appeared to be sleeping in that position, with his head hanging. Valkron gathered his cloak in one hand and sat down.

As the night wore on Valkron kept an eye on the centre of the camp and the ten soldiers. From time to time he paced the area. Whenever he felt tired he took out a small strong-smelling herb and cut off a piece of it to chew on while he watched. It took a long time and a lot of work to finish off one piece.

After a while Edell came over and gave him a bowl of hot broth. Valkron nodded his thanks and drank it, welcoming the warmth of the thick liquid and savouring its taste. The crusader went back to tend to his division, taking a helping for himself as he passed the pot. A knight's training also included cooking, and the broth was one of the recipes taught. It was cheap, easy to make and gave a lot of energy.

Valkron sat on his sleeping peco and watched the skies. They were as thunderous as ever, always shifting, always moving, threatening to rain fire and blood on the world. The atmosphere was thick with excess magic--

'Help me! Anyone!'

The white-haired knight sprang to his feet and looked around. The ten of them were looking around too, alarmed. No, it was nine - the one who had yelled was Edell.

Valkron sprinted across the camp to Edell's division. The crusader was kneeling on the ground. Blood was dripping from his mouth. His eyes were wide and staring, and no matter what Valkron could do he wouldn't reply or move.

'Damn,' he said. He looked up at the others. 'Get back to your positions and keep an eye out for anything! If anything attacks you fight back! We can't afford casualties now!'

The others obeyed him, running back. Valkron heaved the crusader onto one shoulder and, cursing the weight, managed to stagger back to the centre of the camp. He deposited Edell in the middle and then went and shook Samaroh by the shoulders.

'Fgfl...hwhat?'

'Get up, Samaroh!'

The priest got up and shook his ruffled hair. 'Who-- oh, it's you. What do you want?'

Valkron gave him a look. The priest hastily got to his feet and followed the knight over to Edell.

'Help him out whatever way you can,' said the knight shortly. 'I'm going to take over his place. If anything happens call me.'

'Got it,' said Samaroh, already with his pack open.

Valkron strode into Edell's division and took up his place. The other nine were watching apprehensively, but the knight commander knew that something was waiting for them out there. The little fire that was burning near Edell's post gave out too little light. He went over to throw some more firewood onto it--

Something screeched and dived towards him. At the last moment he turned around and plunged his blazing sword into it, sending blood splattering on the ground. One upwards stroke and the creature fell, split into two.

Valkron nudged it with his foot. He'd never seen it before. It looked like a living gargoyle with its wings and cruel, thin face. The liquid staining his sword was purple and sticky and fell off the blade in large coagulated drops.

There was more screeching. Valkron started as another swooped low over his head, but he rallied and went after it. A third emerged, followed by a fourth. Then soon there were too many to count.

Valkron dodged and swiped at them, swearing. By the sound of it the others were getting attacked too. He could hear yelling and swearing over the increased screeches of the monsters.

'Valkron! Duck!'

The knight obediently did so. A stream of fire shot overhead. There were final, deafening screeches as some burned away into nothing but ashes, while others flew away from him, wings or whip-like tail on fire. Valkron struck down a few more that were blinded by the attack, before they retreated.

He turned to see Emeth standing not far away from him.

'Go and help the others, Emeth,' said Valkron breathlessly. 'I'll get the rest up. This is an emergency.'

Emeth nodded briefly and set off at a run towards where Redova was frantically using his spear to beat off the creatures. Valkron looked back to the centre and saw six silhouettes moving around. They had obviously been awakened by the commotion.

More gargoyle-like creatures swooped down on Valkron, who set his sword on fire again and attacked them hard. Arrows whistled past him and struck their targets accurately. There was an explosion from one of the divisions and white light from another. The Raulus party had got the message fairly fast and were now working together with the nine other soldiers.

Valkron was catching his breath between a few attacks when kobolds rushed from the forest. He hit them so hard that several flew off their feet and into the advancing rush of kobolds. Nocturne was firing non-stop and casting traps all over the place. Valkron had to back off when a series of landmine traps exploded in front of him.

From behind he could hear screams. He turned to see a burning tent, before water gushed onto it from nowhere. Then white light burst out again, illuminating everyone as they fought back against the monsters.

After the kobolds there came a mob of petites. The knight cursed and tackled them, sending them flying out of the way. Ice slammed into them, before spikes erupted from the ground not far away from him. Valkron was vaguely sure he saw Samaroh run past behind him carrying his pack and book, but evidently that didn't stop the priest from casting Lex Divina and Lex Aeterna repeatedly on the monsters as he did. Iruna galloped past as well, contributing to the spells being cast onto Valkron's side.

The knight suddenly realised that it was _his_ division was getting the most attacks. He gritted his teeth and swiped hard. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anox, Redova and the rest of the Chivalry soldiers arrive to help him.

Valkron swiped a few more petites out of the way before he instinctively threw himself onto the ground. A few minutes later a series of burning meteors crashed into the wave of oncoming petites, while from another side a lighted potion shattered and exploded.

Someone grabbed him by the shoulders. Valkron looked into the cornflower blue eyes of Nocturne.

'Get out of the way,' he said. 'The others are here, it's best if we step back and let them take the frontline. There's even more monsters coming through from this way.'

'What about the other ways?'

'None. I don't know why, but you seem to be attracting them. Come on, let's go. There's nothing I can do here either.'

Valkron hurried out of the way with Nocturne following closely behind. They were just in time as well. Eni had summoned two massive marine spheres and they were now hitting the petites and squashing them. A murky green layer of energy wavered over the petites. Khan was disappearing and appearing on another side, dealing blows and dodging so rapidly that he was just a blur. Amaru was now in the fray, swinging a large hammer that crushed anything that got near him. The sound of jingling coins was imminent over the shouting, screeching and thudding of weapons.

Valkron tried to catch his breath behind them with his hands on his knees. Nocturne was watching the battle next to him.

'I guess the rest can deal with this now,' said the hunter, when Valkron had straightened up again.

'I agree with you. They're good when they work together.' The knight sighed. 'We don't often work out well in normal times, though. I wish we could change that.'

'That's because you don't know us, and we don't know each other,' said Nocturne, fitting a bolt into his crossbow. 'We can't trust each other except in battle, and who knows even then? We could all turn against each other.'

Valkron stared at him. 'Then why do you think we're together in a party that doesn't seem to work out at all?'

'I guess it's because we're all cowards,' replied Nocturne, shrugging.

Valkron turned away from him, thinking. The hunter's words seemed to be the truth. None of them wanted to be with each other because they could not see what each other's motives were about, but then again no one would go alone on this kind of journey. They had to resolve this relationship problem, they really had to...

There was movement behind Valkron. He whirled around, sword drawn, but the movement was not at him.

The knight stared at the blood dripping from the blade sticking out through Nocturne's chest. The hunter's eyes were wide with shock. The corner of his mouth was twitching.

Edell pulled the sword out with a fleshy sound. Nocturne collapsed without a word. Valkron held up his sword in front of his face, ready to fight, but Edell had lowered his sword and was now looking at Valkron. One of his pupils was smaller than the other and he was grinning like a bloodthirsty murderer out on a killing spree.

_The portal_, thought Valkron. _It's affecting him too_.

Edell turned to face Valkron and bowed. When he looked up he had a hungry look etched on his face.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Valkron of the Prontera Chivalry,' he said. It was not Edell's voice. This one was harsher and hoarser, grating on Valkron's nerves. It was more like the voice of a beast than a human.

'What do you want from me?' said the knight, taken aback.

'Oh, I want nothing from you except a little chat,' said the voice. VAlkron knew it was not Edell who was speaking. 'Nothing...for now.'

'I warn you,' said Valkron, raising his sword, 'get out of him before I call our priest over to exorcise you.'

The voice laughed. 'Is that all you can do, Valkron? Call upon others' help to win? I thought you were far stronger than that. You disappoint me.' Edell's hands moved upwards, bearing the sword. 'This boy is so weak. I can play around with him. And you know what's the best thing? You can't hit him because if you do you'll kill him and not me. Too bad for you, Valkron.'

The knight growled. Whatever the voice was it was right. He wouldn't dare hit Edell, not like this.

'So what other choice do you have, do I hear you asking? Well...' Edell licked his lips hungrily. 'If you want him to be free, come to Payon. I will meet you there.'

'What will you do to him?' said Valkron angrily. 'Do you think I can trust you, whoever you are?'

'It's not a matter of who I am, it's more of _what_ I am,' said the voice. 'Of course I'll keep the boy safe, Valkron. You don't have to worry. This boy is very useful. I don't think I'll be letting him go any sooner either.'

The knight clenched his teeth in frustration. This was not going anywhere.

'What do you want?' he said. 'Why are you here? _What do you want from this world?_ '

'What I want from this world?' Edell threw back his head and laughed a hissing, grating laugh. 'You will know in Payon, Valkron. You will know there.'

The knight lunged forward just then, but whoever it was controlling Edell was too fast. He was gone in a whirl of leaves. Valkron's bloodstained blade swiped at nothing.

Valkron stood there and tried to keep down the mental shouting that had just started. It was then he remembered Nocturne. His anger dissipated and he spun around.

'Samaroh, get over here!'

'Why?' shouted back Samaroh, furiously healing someone.

'Just do it you idiot! Don't make me come and get you!'

_I've got to get over this_, thought Valkron, as he knelt down beside the bleeding Nocturne. _I've got to be a little more detached. I can't go on like this. I can't be attached to anyone anymore. I don't want it to happen again_.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

It took Samaroh half the night to work on Nocturne, and since everyone was watching him nervously he was a little clumsy and had to redo the bandaging. No one wanted to sleep - they were too apprehensive about any other attacks.

By dawn Nocturne was up, but he was still too weak to walk. Both he and Samaroh rode behind Valkron and Iruna respectively. Samaroh was far too tired to walk, either. The other ten Prontera Chivalry knights also mounted their pecos and walked with the crowd, looking around uneasily. Some of the people they were escorting knew about what had happened and were passing the information about themselves in whispers. A few of them were staring to look fearful.

Valkron rode while looking stonily ahead. His expression was not one you would like to interrupt. Emeth certainly observed this and slowed down so that Valkron would go first.

_Whatever Edell was he was definitely vulnerable to the portal_, thought the knight. _Another one who harbours pain and negative emotions. But why?_

Valkron frowned. He remembered Edell as a shy person who stayed away from girls. His explanation, when Valkron had asked him, was, 'I don't know. I'm not sure about them.'

Well, of course that was excusable. Most boys stayed away from girls because they thought girls were either too weak or too different. He had felt the same before. Somehow being an adult changed your point of view, he reflected, glancing at Iruna.

But how serious could it get? If Edell was influenced so easily, what about his party? Edell's weakness was penetrated without difficulty; maybe it would be easy for the portal to attack his party's weaknesses as well.

Nocturne shifted a little behind him. Valkron looked over his shoulder.

'You all right?' he said.

'Mm. Just a bit sore.'

'Samaroh said when we get to Payon he can treat you better there. He said something about herbs before he fell asleep, so I think he's referring to the point that there are herbs that will help you out.'

'Mm.' Nocturne looked at the sleeping priest behind Iruna. 'Good fellow. Never seen someone who was so deft with his hands.'

'I agree with you. No one can be more annoying.'

'Not daft, _deft_.'

'Oh. Sorry.' Valkron looked at Samaroh again. 'But I wish he wasn't so self-important.'

Nocturne stifled a yawn. 'That's because he can't face things, I guess. And no one ever looks at him twice.'

The knight was taken aback by this revelation. 'What?'

'What do you mean, what? It's obvious, isn't it?' Nocturne pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Haven't you noticed? Nobody ever talks to him much. And he's more like...he can't face the truth.'

'That's because you're far too truthful, Nocturne.'

'I know. Eni said I'm so truthful it hurts.' The hunter smiled wanly at Valkron's expression. 'But don't you think listening to the truth is far better than listening to a lie?'

'It would depend on the situation,' said Valkron carefully, knowing that he was stepping over thin ice.

'I know. It depends on the situation. But it's about time Samaroh faced his situation, don't you think?'

Valkron subsided into silence. So Samaroh had something to hide. That made it two.

He glanced at Emeth. The wizard was strolling along almost nonchalantly, but there was something to his walk that Valkron recognised. He was ready for anything that came their way.

_What do you hide, Emeth?_ thought Valkron in the privacy of his head._What do all of you hide, if you have anything to hide? I'm not a sociable person but I swear I'll find out in any way I can. For our safety._

By evening they had walked onto the path that led to Payon. The residents of the little village had opened their gates wide, and the Prontera residents were only too happy to get in. Valkron was forced to order Iruna and Anox to block the wide gateway with their pecos in order to organise the chaos that was breaking out.

Finally in the village everyone could settle down. The inn hastily made nine rooms vacant for the nine knights and the Raulus party. Even though everyone had to share a room no one was complaining. They had no other choice.

Samaroh eventually had enough sleep to get up and gather herbs from the forests around Payon. He came back and treated Nocturne, this time alone and properly. When he was done the hunter looked much better.

'There we go,' he said, wiping his hands with a rag before rinsing the said rag in a nearby basin of water. 'Nicely done. And why are you all standing behind me?'

He had not turned around. The Raulus party exchanged looks. They had snuck into the room when he had finished, since Khan had been listening to the keyhole.

'We just wanted to check on Nocturne,' said Eni indignantly. 'Is there something wrong with that? He's my brother, and we're all his friends, aren't we?'

The others murmured their argument. Samaroh made an annoyed sound with his tongue and started clearing up. 'He can walk now, I'm sure of that. Now leave me alone unless it's urgent, I want to rest.' He picked up his pack and other miscellaneous items before turning sharply on his heel and striding out of the door stiffly, slinging his pack over his shoulder. They made way for him and watched until the door closed behind him.

'A bit touchy there, our Samaroh,' remarked Iruna, who had taken off her blindfold. She approached Nocturne. 'How is it?'

'He's done a good job,' replied the hunter, slipping a hand into his jacket to feel the bandage. 'I don't even have to walk about without my sweater to let it air. For a touchy priest he sure knows his healing. I wonder what he does as a King's mercenary, he's far too good for the job.'

'Healing people, I guess,' said Khan, pulling down his mask. 'Samaroh makes a good battle priest too, but he doesn't look like he enjoys the fighting life.'

Eni looked around. 'Where's Valkron? I thought he was here a moment ago.'

* * *

'What will we do about Edell?' said Anox. 'We have no idea where he is right now.'

Valkron looked at face to apprehensive face. The nine of them were evidently worried about the crusader. He could not blame them - Edell was the youngest of all of them and he was still under training. These were senior knights - well, except for Redova, who was two years into his knighthood - and their responsibility was not just to take care of the people but the younger knights as well.

'I don't either,' he said, 'but give me time. I'll go look for him.'

'Where will you start?' said another knight - Valkron remembered his name was Devar.

'I'll know when the time comes,' replied Valkron calmly.

'We cannot wait, Valkron!' said another knight. 'We cannot be short of one while we protect the people here!'

'I'm sure Valkron has a reason,' snapped Anox, suddenly losing his usual lethargic manner. 'Don't question the orders of a commander, Kanya! You're just a lieutenant!'

'Hold it, Anox. This isn't the time to snarl at other people. She had a reason for saying that too.' Valkron turned to her. 'Worried about Edell?'

'He's my student, sir.'

That explained it. Senior knights were often assigned to the newbies as their teachers for one year. After that the teachers would let them go to build their own lives, but during that one year the teacher was strictly required to keep an eye on a student. But that wasn't what went 'ting' in Valkron's mind.

He looked around at the waiting knights. 'Could all of you go out for a while? I want to talk to Kanya alone. And if you eavesdrop Odin knows what I'm going to do to you.'

Valkron waited until they had closed the door and then turned to Kanya, who looked nervous. 'I didn't know they assigned a trainee crusader to such a difficult task.'

'That's why I'm here, sir,' she answered.

'Ah. But I thought the Chivalry wouldn't be so reckless as to do such a thing. During dangerous times trainee crusaders were sent to Juno. And that their teachers were crusaders too.'

'Short supply of them right now, sir. The Ten Guilds raid.'

Valkron rolled his eyes. Barely a few days had passed and they had already named it. It must be the knights' penchant for history making, even if they had lost.

'So how is he, really? Making good progress?'

Kanya looked thoughtful. 'He's not a bad student but he could do with a little more improvement, really. He's...a bit slow on his work and doesn't really get along with other people, but he shows promise.'

_Ah_, thought Valkron. _I've got you there. You're trying to avoid the issue by telling me all the good things and reducing the severity of the negative side. Nocturne would be really good here..._

He _said_, 'Really? So...um...then why did you voice this only now?'

'Um, well, everyone seemed so busy last night and we were walking today. Saying it out loud would have caused the refugees to panic.'

'I think they already know,' said Valkron casually.

Kanya looked like she wanted to run. 'Edell is fine on his own, I guess--'

'So there isn't any need to look for him or care about him anyway, right?' said Valkron. He sighed. 'Tell me everything, Kanya. It's not like I can demote you here. I need permission from the Chivalry anyway, and I don't think that looks immediately possible now, don't you think?'

Kanya looked down at her iron-clad feet. 'I don't know, he's just very...anti-female. He has absolutely no idea how to deal with some of the tasks I assign. Just recently I found out he pays a friend to talk to the receptionist at the Chivalry for him.'

'The said tasks involving females?' asked Valkron. When Kanya nodded rather despondently, he continued, 'Then have you ever found out why he behaves as such?'

'No,' said the knight. 'He doesn't talk about it. I tried persuading him once, but--'

'That actually isn't a good idea,' remarked Valkron.

'Yes, I know. He refuses complete contact with me, I guess.'

Valkron looked around. 'I know this is going to sound like I'm egoistic, but I assure you I'm not. Does he...admire me?'

'_Admire_ you?' To Valkron's surprise Kanya lauged bitterly. 'I wish he'd _admire_ me the way he admires you. When he's not being quiet and doing his work all he ever talks about is you, sir.'

'Believe me, Kanya, I never asked for it,' said Valkron firmly. 'So you're not going to look for him, huh?'

'I'd look if I knew where to start,' answered the knight, shaking her head. 'But I don't. No one knows. And right now we're out of--'

'Yes, yes, you don't have to repeat that.' Valkron got up from the chair he had been sitting on for the past hour. 'I'll get going, I've got to see to my party. Hopefully they aren't doing anything stupid. For the meantime I suggest you rest. Tell the others that too.'

'But aren't you going with your party?' said Kanya. 'You have something to do, don't you?'

Valkron walked towards the door. 'Yes.'

'And there's nothing I can do?'

The knight commander had put his hand on the doorhandle but he paused in turning it. Then he said, without looking back, 'You, wait. I'll be talking to him. At any rate, it'll be tonight.'

* * *

Emeth was reading when there was a knock on his door. He got up and went over without taking his eyes off his book and opened the door.

'Oh, in Odin's name. Put that bloody book down and let me pass, will you?'

Emeth hurriedly stepped aside, lowering his book. Valkron strode into the room and went straight behind the screen that hid the bathroom door from sight. The wizard blinked and then shrugged. It wasn't a very Emeth gesture, but it was certainly better than talking to Valkron when he was in that mood.

After half an hour Valkron reappeared with damp hair and very simple clothes. Emeth watched him as he dried his hair with a towel kindly provided by the inn. The knight noticed him.

'Why are you looking at me?' he said, draping the towel over the screen and spreading it out. 'I get apprehensive when people look at me while I do whatever I do after I take a shower.'

'I've never seen a knight wear that kind of clothes,' said Emeth. 'Sorry.'

Valkron looked down at himself. He was wearing a brown shirt and trousers. If anyone did not know him saw him that way they would have easily assumed he was just a merchant.

'What's so surprising about it?'

'It's not surprising. You just don't look like yourself - the knight we know.'

'This is what knights wear under their armour, get it?' Valkron crossed the room to where his armour hung from a chair or lay neatly arranged on a table and started dressing. 'You should know by now. We're not entirely naked under our armour.'

'I never said that,' said Emeth indignantly.

'Well, I get a lot of people who say that.' Valkron adjusted his armour properly and reached out for his sword. 'I'm tired of it.'

'Where are you going, incidentally?' said Emeth. 'It's late. You look like you're preparing for a fight.'

'Oh, really?' The knight fitted on his visor and accessories and made sure his sword girdle was tight. 'Whatever I'm going to do tonight, Emeth, is absolutely none of your business. Stay out of it. I have something very important to do.'

'How important is it?' said Emeth, watching him as he crossed the room to the door.

'It's related to the portal, but I'm afraid you can't deal with this.' Valkron opened the door. 'See you. I might come back late, so don't lock the door.'

Without waiting for an answer he went out and shut the door with a soft click behind him. He strode down the corridor to the staircase with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

The bar downstairs was beginning to fill up with its nightly patrons. Valkron squeezed through the crowd. No one gave him a second look at all, not even the refugees who came in to have a meal and probably drown their troubles in drink.

The night air was fresh and cool in Payon. Valkron savoured it as he walked through the lighted streets. Stalls lined the street side and had everything for everyone, from food for the hungry but poor to toys for children. There were plenty of families strolling around and taking a look at the wares being offered. Valkron noticed some refugee families also taking a walk, their children laughing instead of being subdued or crying.

As he headed towards the gates he noticed a little boy sitting outside a house. The boy was shivering and trying to keep himself warm by chafing his upper arms, but Valkron doubted it would help. The winter-like conditions were reaching Payon already. His breath was condensing in front of his face.

He stopped to watch the boy from a distance. After a few minutes the door opened to let out some light and a woman appeared at the doorway, clearly the boy's mother.

'Here. Stay outside and don't you dare ruin my flowers,' she said, and roughly plonked a metal plate on the doorstep before going in and slamming the door. The little boy cringed when the sharp sound of the plate hit the ground and then inched off the doorstep as she slammed the door. Valkron frowned.

There wasn't much on the plate. Whatever food it was resembled leftovers and it didn't look very appetizing. The knight was sure that it was vegetables, but had been left so long that it had turned brown. He walked up to the doorstep and, as the boy reached out for it, put a gentle hand on the boy's own.

The child looked up at him with large, questioning eyes. Valkron shook his head and pushed the plate away. Then he walked off to a nearby stall and bought some meat and bread. He returned with it and wordlessly offered it to the boy.

With much apprehension the boy eyed it, but did not take it. Valkron said, very quietly, 'It's for you. Go on.'

It took a few more minutes but the child eventually understood that the knight was not tricking or teasing him. He took the proffered food and ate it hungrily. Valkron straightened up and watched him blankly.

When he was done the boy looked up at him and gave him a smile. Valkronsmiled back and then quickly walked off the doorstep and out of Payon without a break in his stride. Once he was outside he sighed and walked away into the forest.

The lights of the village began to dim and the sounds fade away as he headed deeper into the forest. He had trained here before, with a spear. There was a kind of monster that was good for spear training - something called a greatest general - because since it resembled a living totem it could not move from where it stood. He had spent a happy few months training alone, away from the other swordsmen who had laughed at him and pushed him around--

Valkron stopped. In the semi-darkness he could only see the silhouettes of the trees and the small, harmless monsters that traversed the area, but he wasn't looking for anything. He had just seen, instead, an image of himself fighting with a greatest general.

There was one, standing quite still a little way from him. Valkron certainly didn't have a spear with him but he wasn't a knight for nothing. He went up to it and watched it.

The greatest general blinked at him and then swiped. Valkron took a step back so that it just barely missed him. Then he drew his sword and pointed it at the creature.

'Those swordsmen laughed at me, you know,' he said, speaking in a low voice. 'Years ago I came here to fight your kind because I couldn't face my problems. I came to fight alone. I guess I have to change that now.'

Fire blazed along the blade and then shot out in a stream towards the creature. The greatest general shrieked as it caught fire. Valkron lunged forward and swung his sword in a wide arc. There was another high-pitched shriek before the thing collapsed, burning into ashes.

The knight looked at his sword before sheathing it. Then he sat down on a nearby tree stump and looked out into the darkness that was blanketing the forest.

The little boy had stirred a thought in his mind. It wasn't about him - he knew he wasn't so unfortunate to be pushed out of his own house and treated like a dog, since he had no parents - but it was somewhat related. Most knights joined the Chivalry for the glory or the name or the reputation or simply because they were rich idiots, but there were a few who joined for an altogether different reason. They were normally very quiet and very reserved, but they fought like demons and were very strong-minded. He knew a few - he had tutored them before.

He wondered, _Is Edell one of them?_

Those knights had suffered something in their childhood. Be it poverty, abuse, suffering - whatever had happened to them had built a sort of resilience in them. Valkron could understand that, since he had been-- _was_ one of them. It was most likely that Edell had gone through the same thing before.

Valkron swung his leg idly. For now there was nothing he could do for Edell. This matter was up to the crusader himself, not anyone else.

There was a rustle from a nearby bush. The knight leapt to his feet, drawing his sword. After a few minutes a baby wolf emerged from the brush, sniffing around.

Valkron relaxed and sat back down. He watched the wolf cub snuffle around before disappearing back into the brush. There was silence except for the chirping of rockers and metalers.

Suddenly there was a cold draught on the back of his neck. He swiftly threw himself off the tree stump and rolled on the ground. A thump indicated something had hit his seat just a few seconds after he had left it. He turned.

A sohee glided forward. It was flanked by a bongun and a munak, along with a tiny creature that looked just like the great beast Baphomet. Valkron swore before he leapt aside as the sohee hit out again.

There was a humming sound from his blade. He swung it forward and sent the sohee backwards, crashing into its companions. The munak and bongun dove for him. Valkron dodged the munak's attack and somersaulted over the bongun before walloping its head clean off. There was an anguished shriek from the munak as it moved forward again, but Valkron had already cut it in half before it could do anything.

The small goat-biped charged at him. Valkron dodged its scythe. He was aware that the sohee was coming for him from behind. His eyes glanced at it and back to the goat. Then he ducked.

The sohee missed him. Valkron swung his sword low and caught the goat on its edge. He whirled around. His sword buried its blade into the creature. As it cried out fire blazed once again and burned right through it.

The knight straightened, breathing hard. He had hardly got ready when a few goblins ran out, flourishing their various weapons. Valkron dodged them and swung his sword in an arc. The goblins were thrown off their feet. Their bodies landed a little way off as black blood splattered across the ground.

Something ran out from the bushes and attacked him viciously. Valkron nearly tripped over the edge of his cloak but recovered in time and leapt back. It was a goblin king, its pale mask grinning at him. It charged, swinging its sword. Valkron brought up his own, and metal clashed.

The goblin tried to hit him with the mace it held in its other hand, but Valkron fended it off with his forearm. He hit out in a series of blows almost as fast as Khan would have done. The goblin reeled back, gibbering angrily as it tried to recover.

Valkron began to whirl his sword in a circle with one hand, watching the goblin. It became a silver blur, light flashing along its blade as it went round and round in his hand. He could feel the energy building up as it began to glow white.

The goblin recovered and charged at him again. When it was just a foot away from him he hit it upwards with the sword. It flew off its feet and fell quite a long way from him. A long trail of black blood showed the direction it had flown.

Valkron had thought it was over, but it wasn't. Kobolds ran at him, along with a few metalers. The knight rolled his eyes and attacked them ferociously, sending them flying left to right. The metalers were dispatched easily enough, but the blue-grey dogs kept coming back. Valkron's sword flew through them, singing as flesh and bone were torn asunder.

Finally all that was left was a knight trying to catch his breath and animal corpses littered around him. Valkron sat back down on his tree stump and tried to relax himself and his racing heart.

'You're as good as ever, Valkron.'

If Valkron had been foolish he would have leapt up again. As he wasn't he remained on his stump and breathed deeply. 'You should know that by now. Edell knew that too.'

'Oh, I respect people's privacy. I would never dare look at people's memories and thoughts.' The sound of footsteps grew louder.

'Really? Then how did you know he was weak in mind and heart in the first place?' said the knight, turning around.

The crusader was standing there. The light from the rising moon illuminated his face. He looked more like a gaunt ghost than anything else.

'I look into people's eyes. Whatever they hide is in there, you know.' The crusader stepped forward, grinning horribly. 'And this boy was _so_ easy...'

Valkron shook his head and bent down. He wiped his sword clean on the grass and then wiped it dry with his cloak. 'I suppose you won't tell me why you're here? So that you can directly battle with me, at this time and place?'

'Why should I do that? I've already tested you.'

The knight chuckled mirthlessly. 'I know that. I just wanted to check.'

The crusader knelt down so that his face was level with Valkron's. 'This kid really does worship you, doesn't he?' he said, in his grating voice. 'He thinks you're a self-made hero, on your way to fame and fortune and goodness knows what else.'

'I think I've already bypassed them,' replied Valkron. 'I'm more or less on my way to inner peace. None of those things you mentioned interest me. I've never wanted to live the life of a hero.'

'You behave like you do, though.' The crusader looked at him shrewdly. 'Are you lying to yourself?'

'No,' admitted Valkron. 'I lie to myself sometimes, but this isn't one of them.'

'Huh.'

'So now what do you want to talk about? You'd better make sure you free Edell or else I'll be after your neck.'

'Well, I wanted to know how hungry or desperate you were to gain some recognition,' said the crusader. 'But it looks like you're not. It's just that...I can see your heart's desire.'

'Yes. In my eyes. Like you said.'

'I can grant it.'

There was silence. Even the trees were listening.

'Really?'

'Yes.' The crusader smiled. It was not a very nice smile. 'I can give you what you want. I can see it now. It lives and breathes within you. Would you like to see it?'

'I prefer that my heart stays in my chest, thank you very much.'

'Oh, no. Not that one. _This_ one.'

Valkron's head was flooded with images and voices. For a moment he could see a blur and when a letter full of words flashed past all he could see were the words PRONTERA printed in large. Then he heard voices talking.

_'You are now a knight of the Prontera Chivalry, the King's personal bodyguard! From now on you will be known as a Guardian Knight and all of the Chivalry will be under you--'_

_'I brought home some good news today, dear. I'm one of the highest ranking knights. I told you our mission has been fulfilled! We've convinced the King that the kingdom really needs warriors like us--'_

_'Your father is a good man. Look at what he's done for us! We can hardly thank him enough for it--'_

_'You should be proud of yourself! Your parents are highly honoured! No one can laugh at you now for being their child--'_

_'Valkron, we won't have to run anymore. The world will be ours to defend, and we can call ourselves warriors of the world freely now. The King has agreed that we are needed and we are not rebels! You can walk the streets again with your head high--'_

Everything disappeared from his mind a moment later. Valkron rubbed his head a little. He was thankful it had stopped - his mind felt strained.

'You still call yourself one, even though the King forbids it. I am impressed by your rebellious spirit.' The crusader was giving him an admiring look. 'But I can give you the freedom to be one, without fearing execution.'

Valkron looked at him. For quite a while. Then birds rose from the trees in panic as laughter echoed through the forest.

'That? You want to grant me that?' Valkron chuckled at the crusader's startled expression. 'Honestly, what kind of being are you? Don't you know what's the difference between a heart's desire and an old dream?'

'But it is an old dream that you wish for, don't you?'

Valkron became serious again. 'No, I don't. Not anymore.' He looked up at the moon. 'Not after I've...been with other people.'

'Your party? Oh, come on. You can't be referring to those weaklings. Besides, you even named your party after--'

'That would be none of your business,' said Valkron coolly. 'Can I not honour the dead for their deeds?'

'Honour the dead? With what you've done?' Now the crusader was angry. 'He will never forgive you for reliving his name. Not him.'

'And how would you know?' sneered Valkron, but genteelly. 'Are you one of the dead as well?'

'Because he was a modest man! You want people to recognise him so that you could draw more attention to yourself! Although you follow his footsteps and you are just as powerful, he will never regard you as his son for your pride!'

The shout echoed in the forest for a long time. Valkron was staring at the crusader, whose lips were starting to curl upwards.

'Ah. So I know now what you really wish for.' The crusader drew his sword. 'Dear me...how far a son would go to disgrace his father. I really wonder why the humans were allowed to colonise this world when they are lower than earthworms and are worth nothing for their efforts to make themselves powerful. It goes to show, doesn't it?'

Valkron stared into space. His eyes were so wide you could see the whites all around.

'Now, Valkron - let me free you from your human shell! Become the beast within you, that all humans have! Show me your true nature and discard everything you know as yourself! The time of humankind has ended now! The beasts must be aroused from their slumber so they can replace the measly humans!'

As Valkron felt his sanity being blasted away until only a raw, raging core thirsty for blood and revenge was left, a very tiny voice said, _The only one who is truly weak is ME._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The stream of fire from Valkron's sword is a much more powerful version of Magnum Break. It doesn't look it, but the skill is the only fire-oriented one knights have, so I had to...improvise it a little. And the whirling sword thing is Bowling Bash.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

It was the morning light that woke Valkron up. No one could sleep with hot light shining through their eyelids.

He blinked in the daylight, at the trees and grass around him. A poring was investigating him, apparently for any small items it could absorb through its jelly-like body. When he sat up it squeaked in fright and took off on its usual bouncing.

The knight supported his head in his hands and tried to recall what had happened the previous night. He remembered white-hot rage surging through him and a burning desire to kill.

And then something had screamed. Maybe it had been him, maybe it had been whatever it was possessing Edell. But the scream was of rage, not pain or hunger.

He raised his head. Somehow he felt lighter. He had never imagined so much anger and frustration lay dormant in him. Maybe he had done something - killed someone, most likely - to get rid of everything that had plagued him.

Valkron looked around him and started. Edell was lying not far from him, face down. There was a painful tug at his heart before fear ran its chilly fingers up his spine. He got to his feet and unsteadily ran over to the prostrate crusader. Very gingerly, not wanting to see what had happened but at the same time hoping in dread, he turned the crusader over.

He sighed in relief. Edell was fine. There was no blood or wound visible. And the crusader was waking up. That looked good.

Edell blinked blearily at him. 'Sir? Where are we?'

'Outside Payon. Come on, get up. I'll get you in there.' Valkron began pulling Edell to his feet, which was not easy due to the heavy armour he wore.

'Outside Payon? We're already there?' Edell looked around him. 'Why are we outside and not in the village?'

Valkron hesitated. He was not a liar by nature. Of course, he'd lied to his teachers before but lying to officers wasn't counted. Besides he had things at stake then, and the best thing he could do was to protect them. This was a similar situation, come to think about it.

'We promised to patrol the area,' he finally said. 'I think we were so tired that we fell asleep without noticing.'

Edell nodded. Valkron could see the relief on his face. Devar - who was the knight in charge of the whole group - surely would not reprimand him for falling asleep while on duty because a knight commander more senior than him had done the same. It was what Valkron guessed at Edell's expression, anyway.

As they both got to their feet Valkron felt the wind blow past his face. It was brisk, with a light crispness of frost. He turned to face it, and as he did he caught the acrid smell of smoke. He looked up.

There was a thick column of smoke rising blackly into the grey skies in the direction of Payon.

'What's happening, sir?' came Edell's voice from behind.

Valkron swore so loudly that the crusader jumped. He looked back at the startled crusader. 'Let's get to Payon! Ask questions later!'

_I've been too careless_, he thought as he ran, trees speeding past him in a blur. _Now what? I've left too many people's lives at stake--_

There was an explosion from the direction of the village. Valkron willed himself forward until he felt like he was being driven by pure determination alone. Even if Edell couldn't manage to catch up at least he would be safe - safer than charging into the village first.

One of the gates had been completely blasted off. The other was badly burnt and hanging from its rope hinge. Valkron slowed down and drew his sword, completely stopping just inside the gates. He looked around as far as the smoke would allow him to.

Most of the huts near the gates were crumbling as the fires consumed them. Black streaks of soot ran all the way from the gates into the village. Valkron stuck his tongue out a little and tasted a tanginess to the air he had not hitherto detected. He immediately felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he came to understand that whatever had happened the previous night had involved, if it had not completely been, extremely powerful magic.

Sparks fell off the burning roofs as he walked towards the centre of Payon, his iron-clad feet thudding loudly in the otherwise silent village. There were no people, no animals, no living thing at all. It was worse than he'd ever expected.

But oddly enough there was no blood, no corpses, no carcasses - nothing at all. Apart from the tangy air and the black streaks about which he was starting to feel suspicious, there was no sign that any fighting had happened.

There was movement. Valkron jerked his head around to his left, where he had seen something run past. It had looked vaguely humanoid, but he couldn't be too sure. He raised his sword cautiously, his eyes darting around. Whoever or whatever had run past seemed to be watching him; he could feel invisible eyes all around--

Just then there was a clanking sound. The knight rolled his eyes and lowered his sword before turning around.

'Edell?' he said.

'Yes, sir?'

'You make more noise than a hungry bigfoot. If you want to do things properly I suggest you stop moving and stay where you are right now.' Valkron turned back to the front. 'No crusader can get around without being entirely silent.'

'And where did you get that theory from, Valkron?'

He nearly had a heart attack. When he was sure he wasn't dead he turned around to see Iruna emerging from the thick smoke. Her blindfold was around her neck and she was giving him an amused look.

'Iruna? Where's everyone else?'

'Oh, behind the smoke,' she replied. 'They're fine. Everyone in this village is fine.'

Something about the way she spoke made Valkron hesitate. 'Almost everyone?'

Iruna shrugged. 'Emeth isn't. He's been shouting about for you and saying about what he'd do to you in a very emphatic voice.'

Just then there was a shout from the smoke. 'Valkron! You get over here right NOW!'

'That kind of voice,' added the crusader helpfully.

'I'll...go and face him,' said Valkron, unconsciously smoothing out his tunic. 'Edell, stay with her. Whatever's about to happen isn't suitable for knights and crusaders under two years of training to see.'

He strode through the thick smoke billowing almost horizontally across the square, wondering how bad it could get and by how much it could get worse. He had got up to ten so far when he emerged to come literally face to face with Emeth.

The wizard was definitely not in a good mood. Magic was whirling about him and his face was not something you'd want to see after you had a long day. Valkron actually took a step back at the sight of him. The image of Emeth being extremely angry was not entertaining, and knowing how explosive a wizard could be was not improving it at all.

'So,' said the wizard coldly. 'Our good leader has returned.'

Valkron coloured. 'Don't talk to me like that--'

'Oh? Really? So who was to blame when the entire village was engulfed in the portal's magic last night? Who went out and left us completely unaware of anything?'

'I never said I was aware of anything--'

'Then why did you say you had business that didn't concern anyone of your party?'

'That was a completely different matter--'

'And you assumed we were so dumb that we couldn't even locate our backsides without a map?' Emeth drew himself up to his full height, which was a formidable sight indeed. 'Is that why you left us to deal with the situation that arose?'

'Look, I had absolutely no idea that anything would happen last night--'

'Which gives you a very good reason to stay here and watch over the village along with the other knights!'

'My business concerned them, not you, but they didn't have the right to be where I was--'

'You had an invitation to a little midnight party? Let me guess - it was celebrating some sort of victory over Geffen and Prontera, was it?'

'Emeth, I--'

'You what? Chose to leave us because you, as you would say, "cannot protect us all the time and anyway it would be downright stupid if we couldn't defend ourselves?" So who do you think removed the magical field?'

The broken gates, the streaks of soot and the fires clanged together in Valkron's mind. For a moment he forgot about his anger. 'It was you?'

'Oh, yes it bloody well was me! Having to waste half my energy trying to clear up the damn field with Mr Priest claiming absolutely no knowledge on cleansing the atmosphere--'

'Hey!' said Samaroh's voice from behind him.

'--and then wasting the other half running around looking for you! Do you think I've got the patience to tolerate your impatient behaviour with us when you completely left the village and left us of one man short so that when we were evacuating the people you weren't there to defend our backs? What kind of knight are you? You who claim you are different from the other stuck-up knights of the Prontera Chivalry, who talks of changing others - what about yourself? Ever looked at who you really are? What kind of knight puts people's lives at stake?'

'That's enough.' The knight called Devar stepped out from the smoke. 'You're talking to a commander of the Chivalry, you know.'

'Do you think I give a damn?' snarled Emeth, so abruptly that Devar stepped backwards in shock. 'Commander or no, he had the responsibility of guarding the unarmed, innocent civilians!'

Valkron bowed his head. 'I know what I did was wrong,' he said, speaking in a low voice, 'and whatever I did doesn't warrant any respect that a knight receives, but--'

It happened too fast for anyone to stop it. Everyone started with shock as Emeth's fist slammed into Valkron's jaw so hard the knight stumbled and fell. The wizard, breathing hard, straightened up.

'You still have the guts to say "but", do you?' he said, his voice hard and stern. 'Where's your sense of responsibility and pride, Valkron? Are you really the knight you claim to be? Answer me!'

There was silence apart from the crackling of the burning fires. Everyone present watched with baited breath. Emeth was glaring at Valkron in evident rage, his face showing no sign of the Emeth they were used to.

The knight lifted a hand to his jaw slowly as he stared unseeingly at the ground.

'I know responsibility,' he said, eventually. 'But I have no pride. I am not the knight I know myself to have been. I know what I did was wrong. I'm sorry for everything I did and didn't do. You are right.' He closed his eyes. 'I'm truly sorry.'

As he hung his head he thought he could hear voices laughing and jeering at him, with people whispering in the background. He caught snitches of the whispering.

_'He has to suffer for what his parents have done. What a poor child...'_

_'He's worth nothing! With such an upbringing he'll always think of his parents as heroes!'_

_'Leave him be, children. Don't play with him. He'll bring trouble to us...'_

A very old feeling came to him. It had never left him throughout his life - it had simply stayed dormant, but it constantly reminded him for who he was, what his parents had done. It felt like heartburn - one that spread through him and reduced him to nothing but the immature child he had been long ago.

He had never felt lonelier in his life.

'That's far enough, Emeth. Give him a rest, will you? He's a good man at heart, you don't have to shame him like this.' Iruna's voice sounded far off.

'Oh, really? When he's declared us to be idiots in the public? This is what he's always deserved--'

'It doesn't matter. You don't have to be his judge.' Nocturne's voice cut through Emeth's like a warm knife through butter. 'When the time comes then maybe we can all talk about it, not single him out. Maybe he really had something important to do, something that would have put us all into deeper trouble if he didn't resolve it.'

Nocturne's words should have lightened the load on Valkron, but the knight was sinking into even deeper darkness. He didn't even know if he had resolved Edell's problem at all. Whatever he could remember was the only thought that he knew was the ultimate truth.

_The only one who is truly weak is ME_.

'Nocturne's right. We can't all have a go at Valkron,' came Khan's voice. 'Let's stop this and try to clear up everything together. We're still a party, you know.'

'I'd rather have Aldev as a leader than him!'

'Valkron?'

The knight looked up into Iruna's face. The pale brown eyes was looking at him concernedly, scanning his face. He could feel her hands on his shoulders.

'Are you all right? That was quite a hard hit he gave you.' She reached up, wiped something off the side of his mouth. 'His knuckles actually split your skin. You're bleeding a little.'

_Really? I don't feel any physical pain,_ thought Valkron. The overwhelming feeling was straining against him, inside him. The warmth of Iruna's hands felt unfamiliar, almost alien. He reached up to push them off.

'No. Right now you need a rest. You've gone white.' Iruna gathered her skirt and sat down next to him while Khan and Emeth started arguing. 'And your face has dirt smudged across it. Where _have_ you been?'

Despite himself Valkron felt his lips curl in a half-smile. 'You don't look any better.'

'Yeah, well, I didn't just get chided.' The crusader busied herself with dabbing away the blood from the cut on his face. 'I can't blame Emeth for going mad at you, though.'

'It's justified.'

'It is, but that's not the point. He went mad last night.'

Valkron felt himself slowly freeze. He looked up to her. 'What do you mean?'

'The portal's wavelength fluctuated out of control the previous night. Samaroh was completely knocked out by it within minutes but to Emeth...it changed him. Seconds after his eyes started glowing he cast a fire spell on an eddga attempting to get in and...let's just say he cleared just more than an eddga.'

The black streaks on the ground came into Valkron's mind. 'You mean _he_ did the--'

'Yes.' Iruna sat back. 'I'll never forget how it flamed past my face barely an inch away. The heat was terrific. Although the gates of Payon stopped the spell from clearing the forest beyond them you can see what it did to the houses.'

'Was anyone--'

'No, thanks to Devar. He was the only one of the nine who kept his head during the fluctuation. Within minutes the village of Payon was empty.'

'What do you mean, he was the only one who kept his head during the fluctuation?'

The crusader shrugged. 'I don't understand it myself. We were badly affected, of course, but the knights...eight of them said they saw nothing and felt nothing. When Devar whacked them on the backs of their heads with his spear they came to and got to work.'

The knight turned when he heard voices behind him. The nine from the Chivalry were shaking their heads and talking quietly. Some of them were gingerly massaging the back of their heads.

'I didn't say it was a gentle blow,' added the crusader, seeing Valkron looking at them.

'Devar wouldn't give them a gentle blow if he thought it wouldn't work.' The knight got to his feet and Iruna followed suit. 'But right now I want to talk to Edell--'

Emeth whirled around to face him in a flurry of cloak and red hair. Even in the daylight and without an intensified magical atmosphere he was impressive. His eyes glowed momentarily in the shadows of his fringe and for a moment Valkron thought he had seen something else in the wizard's eyes...but he couldn't be too sure.

'Where do you think you're going?' he snarled. 'I haven't finished with you yet!'

Iruna swiftly stepped out in front of Valkron. 'Don't you try anything, Emeth,' she warned, holding out her massive shield in front of her. 'I said yo've gone far enough. Stop it.'

'Well, not far enough to get anything into that damn knight's thick skull,' spat the wizard. 'I want to make sure he knows what he's done! He'd better learn his lesson or I'll--'

A book bounced off Emeth's head.

Everyone turned, even the ten knights. Samaroh was limping slowly across the square from where he had been sitting silently for the past half hour. Of everyone present he looked as if he had received the worst of whatever had happened. He was pale, dishevelled and had dark rings around his eyes. People backed away as he approached Emeth.

He passed the wizard and bent down, his fingers closing over his book. Then he straightened up and faced the wizard.

'If she says it's enough, it's enough,' he said. His voice was cracked and not very like the accented style he always used. 'Have you got enough clawing out people's faces in front of their peers? If you haven't then I'm going to say this once and for all. Your soul is beyond redemption.'

He turned and limped away without waiting for an answer. In the silence Nocturne said, 'And I thought _I_ was the truthful one.'

* * *

As the ten knights along with the Raulus party (and its temporary extension, the monk Aldev) helped the residents return to their homes and put out the fires Emeth's massive spell had caused, Valkron sat a little way away from everyone and everything and watched them. Although he knew he had to help as a penance for leaving Payon he didn't feel well. Most of the time people looked to him for orders, but the more he talked the more he wanted to throw up. Standing for long periods of time also made him giddy.

He stared out at the crowd of people moving around the village, vaguely aware that he was no longer focusing on them. But he had to think out the events that had occurred the previous night.

_I thought I felt like killing something last night_, he thought. _But no one's dead. True, half of the village is in flames, but no one's actually died, have they? And besides I didn't cause any of the fires._

After a while a small, cool voice in his mind said, _Apparently all that happened last night in Payon was a massive fluctuation in the magical wavelength that amplified magical power. Emeth must have alerted the ten-- nine knights and they evacuated the residents before the eddga came, but the eddga barely even reached the gates when the wizard cooked it by restoring the magical field._

How? And why? And what had happened then?

Valkron took off his visor and ran a hand through his white hair, sighing. He was tired as it is and he had no idea as to what went wrong.

A shadow fell across him. He looked up to see Edell looking down at him - a little nervously, yes, but with a determined look on his face.

'Can I sit next to you, sir?' he asked.

Valkron blinked and then came to his senses. 'Oh. Yes.'

The crusader went down on one knee and twitched his cloak out of the way of his iron shoes. They sat there in silence for a little while, before the crusader said, 'You didn't tell me what happened last night, sir.'

Valkron looked at him. Edell was staring out at the crowd, but he was giving Valkron the impression that he knew the commander had hidden the truth. The knight smiled mentally. He had to tell the truth, eventually, but he liked trainees with initiative.

'Yes I did, Edell. You're dead certain there.'

'Why?'

Valkron leaned his head against the wall his back was facing. 'Have you heard the saying "Ignorance is bliss"?'

'It still doesn't mean you can hide the truth from me, sir.'

'If that's the case, Edell,' Valkron lifted his head back up, 'then you can't hide your past away from me either.'

After a short pause the crusader turned to the knight. 'What do you mean?'

'I left Payon because something involving your past made you leave us,' said the knight shortly. 'I want you to tell me what happened in your life that makes you averse to females. Don't hide anything from me, Edell, and in return you'll get what you want.'

Edell gave him a look. 'I thought you were more generous than that.'

'Oh, yes, right, I'm a hero to you and all heroes should have great virtues. You know what?' The knight straightened up and gave Edell a casual look in return. 'I'm not a hero, whatever you think. I'm a mercenary. Mercenaries bargain, Edell. They haggle. They name a price. They cheat. They lie. They scheme, plot, slander, harrass, steal, deceive. They do all kinds of things heroes don't do. And because of what they do they live longer than heroes and when I mean longer it's considerably a lot longer. Understand?'

The crusader stared at him. 'You're not the kind to do that.'

'Yeah, you're right. I don't.' Valkron leaned back again. 'I suppose that's why people know me. Because I'm different.'

'So I just tell you what you want to know, and...?'

'I'll tell you what _you_ want to know. Deal?'

Edell's expression clearly said what he was thinking: you said you don't bargain and yet you just did. Valkron read it off his face and smiled sunnily at him. The after effects of the previous night were making him feel a bit light-headed, but he didn't really care.

The crusader sighed. 'I don't know. A lot of people used to tell me I was a moron. I was slow at learning new things, I was so gullible, I was so ignorant...my fellow trainees used to tease me a lot and trick me into doing stuff that was either unnecessary or made me look dumb.'

'You seem to have improved,' said Valkron.

Edell looked amused at this. 'Are you just trying to make me feel better?'

'Edell, if there's one thing that I don't do, it's flattering people. Other than running after girls or cheating or running away from a battle.'

'But you walked out of Payon last night.'

'Edell,' said Valkron dangerously, 'this is about you right now, not me. I know you've heard quite a lot of what happened from the wizard but the reason why I walked out of Payon was because of _you_. Continue.'

'Oh. Well, my mother wanted to prove people wrong. She was a crusader too - one of the best. You won't believe the nights she had me up and practising sword techniques or meditating to "cleanse my mind" or studying the history of swordsmanship.'

'Go on.'

'I don't really remember much,' admitted the crusader, looking apologetic as Valkron simmered. 'But I do remember one thing. I had a sister - a younger sister. My mother always kept me away from her.'

_Aha. Something's starting_, said Valkron in satisfaction, but only for internal consumption.

'I've always been kept away from girls. My mother thought whenever I looked at one I was thinking of something bad. She used to try to beat the habit out of me with her belt.'

'Ouch.'

Edell shrugged. 'I'm used to it now. It's just that I still don't feel comfortable around females.'

'Yes, and your tutor is female. Edell, here's a piece of advice - you can't avoid girls forever,' said the knight evenly.

'I know, I know. I'm just not used to it--'

'What part of us don't you feel comfortable with?'

Edell and Valkron looked up. Iruna was casually leaning against her shield and fingering the hilt of her sword, her pale brown eyes blinking at them slowly.

'Sorry for eavesdropping, Valkron, but I couldn't resist,' she confessed.

Valkron gave Edell a meaningful look. 'A trait of the feminine race. They love eavesdropping.'

'Ex_cuse_ me, but--'

The younger crusader shrugged sadly. 'I just want to be careful around them. You know? Because they feel...weaker? And they're so mysterious.'

'Women? Weaker?' Iruna's laughter caused people to look up from what they were doing. 'So do you call this--'

A blur and a flash of light happened. When Valkron waved the dust out of his face Iruna was holding her sword to Edell's neck from behind. The younger crusader's eyes were so wide you could see the whites all around.

'--weak?' finished Iruna.

Valkron sighed. 'Lay it off, please. I'm trying to have a private conversation with him--'

'No, wait. I think...I think she's right.' Judging by his face Edell was finding it difficult to admit, but he was saying it all the same with the determination of a man wanting to get it over with. 'I know I'm being stupid. It's just the past influence on me, you understand? I don't even dare _glance_ at girls these days, in case I get punished for it. Like the old days.'

The knight rolled his eyes and got to his feet. 'You have one heck of a common sense, Edell. This is your life now. You're in control of it. Why restrict yourself so tightly? Life has its allowances and prohibitions, and you'll need to risk everything to experience them all.'

'Oh.' Edell looked down in thought, and then looked up at the knight. 'So can you tell me why you said I was involved with you?'

Valkron blinked at him. Then he looked at Iruna. The blue-haired crusader nodded and turned on her heel, striding away towards the villagers. He watched her go until he was sure she was out of hearing before he turned back.

'Because whatever's corrupting our world,' he said, 'makes use of people who have been influenced by their pasts and resent whatever's happened back then.'

Edell stared at him for a long time. Then he said, 'What can I do to prevent it from happening again?'

Deep inside Valkron felt himself warm to the boy. Barely a crusader and marked with scars, and yet ready to take responsibility. This was the kind of people he was looking for, that the world needed the most.

'Be strong, Edell,' he replied. 'Resist whatever tempts you to resent everything around you. Accept yourself for who you are and look to the future. Don't ever run away from your past. You'll succeed, that's for sure.'

A shout echoed in the distance. Valkron looked up to see Kanya and Iruna standing side by side not far off. Kanya was waving cheerily at them.

He looked down at Edell, who had also turned to look at the two women. The crusader sensed the knight's gaze and turned back to face him.

'Well, she's been worried about you. It's time you got back to her.' Valkron smiled. 'Go on, don't keep her waiting.'

As he watched Edell approach his tutor before welcoming her warmly, the little voice in his head said, _I preach to others about being strong. Do I follow my own words? I certainly don't think so_.

He sighed and shook his head. There was a lot of changing needed to be done, and the most important one that needed seeing to immediately was himself.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

'So..what am I supposed to do again?' said Aldev, wringing his hands apprehensively.

'You're to keep watch over Payon. Organise the Raulus party. I'm leaving you in command for the day.' Valkron stifled a yawn and shook his head, sending his untidy mop of hair flying.

'Why me?'

'Because you haven't been doing anything much since you joined us, that's why.' The knight was clearly irritated by the questioning, but he was too tired to snap at anyone. Anyone who spoke to him had to ask him to repeat his words because he was slurring badly.

'But why do you think I'm suitable for this leader job?'

'Can't you just do what I asked you to do?' asked Valkron crossly, making an effort to clear his speech. 'If you want help the other seven of the Raulus will help you out, all right? Oh, no - sorry, six. Samaroh's out for the day too.'

'What?'

'I said, the other six will help you out if you need help.' Valkron pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced. 'Eurgh. I need to sleep, Aldev. Just do what I say.'

'But still--'

'You don't question my orders, Aldev. That's one thing I made clear to all of you. If you don't want to risk losing your mercenary status you'd better be going now. And when I say now, Aldev, I mean _now_.'

The monk was clearly far too nervous to listen to what Valkron was saying. 'I don't even know how to organise things,' he was saying, when Valkron caught up with him, 'and everyone definitely won't listen to me--'

The knight grabbed him by the collar and wrenched him towards himself so that their noses were barely a centimetre apart. Valkron looked straight into Aldev's fearful grey eyes and said in a low growl, 'I am tired. I cannot see much apart from a blur. I want sleep. If you want to continue criticising yourself and not get anything done then I might as well spill your blood right here and call it a day. What say you?'

'No thanks,' said Aldev, his voice squeaky with fear.

'Good.' Valkron relinquished his grip on Aldev's clothes. 'Now get going.'

The monk nearly fled down the corridor in his hurry to get away from Valkron. The knight watched him go before stepping back and shutting the door of the room he shared with Emeth. He winced as the sound of wood against wood made his head throb and stepped away. The sooner he got to bed the better.

Valkron began to remove his armour like a man in a daze. He stared at nothing, thinking of nothing in particular. His only intention now was to get some rest. Maybe he wouldn't feel so ill after a good sleep - if sleep could solve his recent stress.

In a daze and almost walking into furniture from time to time he took a badly needed shower. The shock of cold water hitting him was enough to wake him up a little, so when he emerged he was a lot more aware of his surroundings. He shook his head, sending water flying out of his hair, and went to dry himself.

It was while he was pulling on his usual brown shirt that it happened. He felt sick but carried on nonetheless. The ill feeling spread through him as he moved on arranging things in the room to his preference - whatever his hair stated to others he was a neat person by nature. Valkron felt it take him by the throat, and as it did his head throbbed heavily.

He leaned against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to withstand the pain. It was not a normal headache - it seemed to go on forever, reaching into his body. As it did his heart felt like it was being constricted by tight bands. His hand went up and clutched his shirt above where his heart should be.

The knight was not too sure as to how long the pain lasted, but it seemed to take hours to fade away. By the time it had he was in no position to get to bed, let alone move. Twinges of pain made him wince if he cared to even twitch himself. He gritted his teeth and, with an effort, heaved himself off the wall.

Something lurched inside him. Valkron stared into the empty air, pain forgotten, before he clapped his hand over his mouth and got to the bathroom. It was just in time. He threw up before he had the time to even bend; luckily for him he did not miss.

Valkron gasped for breath. The inside of his head had become hot, sticky fluff. His sight was out of focus, and his body burned with a heat that didn't seem normal, although he was shivering violently. Sweat ran down the side of his head and dripped onto the floor, but was interrupted when he threw up again.

He wasn't too sure how many times he retched, but when it stopped - or paused, more likely - he tried to draw in breath and spit out whatever was left in his mouth. He was sure he hadn't eaten anything much since that morning. That was pretty much what he was sure about.

'Hey, Valkron, what's wrong?'

The knight knew the voice, but right now he wasn't going to greet its owner. He threw up again anyway, just then.

'Ooh...that looks nasty. Do you want to get Samaroh?'

'No...thanks,' gasped Valkron. 'Leave him...be. He...needs sleep.'

'By the looks of it you need him more than he needs sleep. Come on, I'll go get him and he'll help you out--'

'No!' Valkron hadn't realised that his voice was hoarse by now, but he made an effort to relay the message. 'I don't...need him. He probably...won't know how...to resolve this...oh, no--'

Thankfully it appeared to be his last purge. Valkron straightened and flushed whatever it was away. He was shaking badly and his tongue had a horrible taste to it. Well, if he didn't move it wasn't going to get any better. He turned around.

Emeth was standing in the doorway, hands at his hips and looking concerned. Valkron was in no mood to talk to him but the after effects of the shouting was still lingering in his ears, so he attempted to be as polite as he could possibly get. 'Will you move, please?'

'You're not going to bed like that, are you?' said the wizard. 'Wash your face. You look like a mess, not to mention whiter than a sheet.'

Valkron was also in no mood to begin an argument so he did as Emeth had asked. The wizard stepped aside for him and then lurched forward and caught the knight before he hit the floor.

'Steady there. I'll help you.'

With a little bit of swearing and much dragging Emeth got the knight to his untouched bed and sat him down. Valkron clutched his head and bent over, his eyes tightly shut. He felt sick in addition to being tired and hungry.

He heard the bedsprings scrunch as Emeth sit down on his own unkempt bed. For a few minutes neither of them said anything, and then Emeth said, 'Well, this is turning out to be a nice day, eh?'

Valkron did not say anything. He felt too sick to talk and besides he wasn't going to spark off the wizard's temper. From Emeth's tone he could tell that the wizard was still touchy with him - something that meant he was liable to explode if just one word was wrong.

'I don't think we need to gloss over what happened again.' The bedsheets rustled as Emeth shifted. 'But seriously, you look bad enough. Samaroh would be able to sort you out, I'm sure.'

'No - thank - you,' said Valkron through gritted teeth, wondering when Emeth would stop bothering him.

'Really? You don't want to be a little more at ease?'

When Valkron gave no reply the wizard sighed. 'I wish you could be a little more appreciative towards us. I'm not going to elaborate further on that but I think you get the meaning.'

'Are you here to lecture me on how knights behave, Emeth?' said Valkron angrily. 'Because if you are I'm not going to listen. I've just had about enough last night and today, all right? Leave me alone, I want to sleep.'

'In that condition of yours? I'll be amazed. Can't you recognize a fever when you have it? Or have you ever had it before? I don't really know the lifestyle of a knight--'

Valkron badly wanted to snap at him, but when he opened his mouth and eyes pain shot through his head. The knight groaned instead and clamped his hands over his ears as he bent over, shutting his eyes again. This was not good.

After a while a pair of gloved hands took his bare ones and gently but firmly prised them off.

'All right, all right. I won't talk about it to you. Come on, straighten up.'

Valkron winced and muttered something about not being observant.

'Look, just straighten up will you? I'm tired and hungry as well so I know you want to sleep, but I seriously have got to talk to you about something else. Come _on_ Valkron, I don't want you to give up just yet,' the pair of hands grabbed hold of the knight's shoulders, 'and I know it's difficult for you to get up properly but you have _got_ to listen to me, okay? Please? Don't make me go down on my knees and beg, you know I don't like begging...'

After a few more minutes Valkron gave in and let the wizard help him. Emeth sat down next to him on his bed and kept him sitting up.

'So what do you want to say to me?' said the knight coldly. 'After what you just did?'

'Valkron, I-- never mind.' Emeth looked towards the window. 'Look, I have something important to tell you. Just hear me out and then you can go to sleep and get some rest. Please?'

The knight shrugged. 'Whatever, just make it quick.'

'All right then.' The wizard looked back to him. 'Last night was no ordinary incident.'

'I know,' said Valkron, wincing as the wizard's voice made his head ache again.

'The fluctuation last night...was far stronger than I'd ever experienced. I didn't even know I was capable of such magic.' Emeth stared at his hand. 'Samaroh couldn't take it because he wasn't trained to deal with offensive magic.'

'On the other hand it strengthened yours.'

'That's right. I think it's because...well...'

Valkron looked up. Emeth seemed to be holding it back although he had already gone past the beginning of the sentence. There was a look in his eyes that the knight did not recognise.

'What is it?' he asked, forgetting the pain.

'Well...' The wizard wrung his hands, clearly distraught. 'I have a feeling that the portal has grown stronger now.'

Valkron stared at him in disbelief. 'Are you sure?'

'I'm certainly doubly sure about it, Valkron. I've never learned the spell I cast last night, but according to historical texts I know it used to be a spell that used infernal magic as its base.'

'Hold it, Emeth. Infernal magic can't be used by humans.'

'That's exactly the point, Valkron.'

It dawned on the knight. 'The portal's _granting_ you the ability to use infernal magic? But I thought the usage of the magic is forbidden! I remember reading about it in the Prontera Library!'

'You sure are one odd knight,' said Emeth, eyeing him. 'But you're right. It's as if the portal is priming people for its "greater plans", although I don't know what those are and I'm certainly not too keen to find out.'

'Save us, somebody,' said Valkron, covering his eyes with one hand.

'Wait, I'm not done. There's a small problem with having me in your party.'

'What, you have to attend your grandmother's funeral?'

The wizard gave him a pained look. 'Sometimes,' he said reproachfully, 'I wish you wouldn't be so sarcastic. No, it's not that. It's just...if another such fluctuation comes along I don't want any of you to be around me.'

Valkron was taken aback. 'Why?'

'Because I'm not totally in control of myself when I'm under its influence. I'm not joking,' he added, seeing Valkron's expression, 'because the previous night I knew what was happening but I couldn't stop myself. Nor could I understand what was going on with me. It was as if I was being controlled and I could do nothing about it.'

The knight stayed silent. He could see Emeth was serious now.

'I don't want to end up killing any of you.' The wizard looked away. 'There's a possibility of that happening.'

'You're not going to let it get control of you, are you?' said the knight.

'Of course not. But it isn't a choice. I don't think you understand, but I can't choose. That night...it was as if I was somebody else. And no matter what I did or tried I couldn't bring myself to stop.'

'So why did you cleanse the atmosphere and kill the eddga?' said Valkron.

'Uh...I'm not too sure of that myself.'

Valkron shook his head. 'I don't have any hand in this matter, Emeth. You're the wizard, you know more than we do. Basically it's up to you to help.'

'I just pray I don't go berserk, that's all,' said Emeth. 'But you know I'm not entirely _that_ powerful.'

'Right. I'm convinced.' Valkron brushed away a few stray strands of hair from his eyes. 'Are you done? I want to sleep.'

The wizard appeared to consider this for a moment and then got off the bed. 'Yeah, you can have some peace now. I just wanted to tell someone who knows what he's doing.'

'Judging by the way you yelled at me just now I don't think you have a high opinion of me, but thanks anyway.'

Valkron did not watch the wizard. He heard the soft footfalls on the threadbare carpet heading towards the door before they stopped.

'Valkron?'

'Mm?'

'I...I'm sorry.'

Valkron's deep green irises slid to one side as he looked back. Of course he couldn't see Emeth, but he was intent on listening to the wizard's voice.

'You had a reason for leaving the village. I should have heard you out before I reprimanded you.' Emeth's voice was subdued; Valkron guessed his head was bowed.

'Yes, and I had a responsibilty. Emeth, you don't have to go on and on about it, I've had enough of it in one day. We're both quits on this matter, all right? I apologise as well. For leaving the village.'

After a pause, Emeth said, 'Why did you leave?'

Valkron focused on the window opposite him. 'Someone had issues to deal with...and was under the control of the portal's creator.'

* * *

Deep in the darkness of some forgotten chamber buried underground a shadow moved slowly, as if admiring the great arches that lined the room. Under the accumulated grime and dirt of the centuries cold hard marble formed the stones of the structures. Patches of gold on the walls glimmered weakly in the light of the solitary candle situated on the podium. 

The place had been once a part of the empire that had ruled Rune-Midgard centuries ago. It was not one of the places where the many emperors had tortured and subsequently killed their victims or whoever they wished to torment, enjoying the twisted faces till their deaths. However, it was a place that had once been a very important meeting area for a secret group that had opposed the emperors and, eventually, had caused the empire to fall.

The shadow moved around listlessly and then solidified. Its black head became a hood, its long misshapen body became a cloak and the gap between the floor and the shadow was filled by a pair of legs in stout black boots. Then the shadow - now a person - swished its cloak and turned to face the figure that had come running in.

'What do you bring me now?' said the person in the cloak. His voice was low and deep, but there was something in it that suggested he was not human. Not entirely.

'I bring news,' replied the figure, bowing briefly. 'Our preparations for the new emperor are not going well. We are constantly being interrupted by...positive forces.'

The hooded man slammed his gloved hand on the podium, causing it to shake and the candle to teeter precariously on its uneven top. 'We cannot have any more delays! How many times have I told you?'

'But, my lord--'

The hooded man gave the figure a blow that sent him sprawling onto the floor. 'I want no interruptions this time. If there are positive forces then negate them! Oppose them like those people have opposed us before! Our new emperor must be ready to take his place on the throne on the first day of Vegan! If he does not, then the empire as we knew will not rise again, and the world shall stay as cursed as ever!'

'Y-Yes, my lord,' stammered the figure, getting up unsteadily from the ground. It bowed briefly again before turning on its heel and fleeing through one of the arches, disappearing into the darkness.

The man watched it go before moving over to the podium. In the dim light of the candle flame anyone could see the circle carved into the podium's top, encircled with runes. Many strange glyphs and ancient script lined the inside of the circle. The lines were not very clear now, but they were recognizable.

Above the circle some words had been carved into the marble. The man traced them with a finger, his lips moving as he read the words silently.

_Life for The Light,_

_Life for Friendship,_

_Life for The World._

After a few minutes of silence the man suddenly clenched his fist, raised it and brought it down on the podium. With an almighty crack the structure split into half before its base shattered under the impact and it collapsed. The candle fell to the floor, smashing into fragments of wax, and with it its light extinguished, letting the darkness it had kept at bay flood the chamber until nothing could be seen.

'Foolish humans,' echoed the man's voice in the cavern. 'They shall now know what they have done. Building their lives on stolen knowledge, pretending to have seen the light when all they know is darkness, saying they know friendship when they only understand themselves. They are nothing more than selfish, conceited, arrogant, murderous beasts - beasts with intelligence that they do not even know how to use! Hah!'

There was a swish as he turned, and his footsteps grew softer as he walked away.

'It is time the age of man has ended. Once and for all.'

* * *

When Valkron rose from bed it was the next day. He dressed quickly, grateful that he no longer felt ill. 

Emeth was still asleep. Although he had a habit of shifting in his sleep until his blanket was around his waist today was a different matter. All Valkron could see was his mop of red hair sticking out from under the blanket. The pile of thick cloth continued to breathe deeply as Valkron washed his face and fastened on his sword girdle.

Then, quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping wizard, the knight opened the door and stepped out into a silent corridor.

It was still very early in the morning so there was almost no one around except for a beggar hoping for a coin or two. He was surprised when twenty zeny landed in his hat as the knight walked past him.

'Thank you,' he murmured gratefully.

Valkron went out and looked down the street. The early morning mist was still hanging around the straw houses. Many of them were still being rebuilt, especially the ones that Emeth had set fire to the previous day. The knight glanced at them briefly before heading away.

The party found him later on, in the centre of Payon. Most people were avoiding him so it was very easy to spot him out. He was sitting at the base of a tree, staring up into the leaves.

'A bit of morning leafgazing wouldn't hurt you, eh?' said Aldev, and immediately shrunk back from the looks the others gave him. He chose not to say anything else for the time being after that.

'How are you feeling, Valkron?' said Iruna kindly. No one could easily forget what had happened the other day.

The knight continued staring up at the leaves. The wind blew past, shaking the branches of the tree, and the dappled shadows on his face moved as the leaves shook in the wind.

'I think he's off his rocker,' whispered Nocturne to Khan. The assassin gave him a look and elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up, but Valkron did not seem to have heard. Iruna, who had not put on her blindfold, looked up into the tree to see what was so interesting. Of course all she could see was a thick green blanket with holes, through which rays of sunlight were falling.

'Um...I don't mean to interrupt you,' said the crusader hesitantly, 'but what are you looking at?'

'Leaves,' muttered Samaroh, and promptly got his foot stepped on by Emeth.

Very slowly the knight pointed up at the leaves. 'You know what's interesting about the leaves, Iruna? Sometimes they show you something, sometimes they hide things from you. But whatever they do they'll always be there. Whatever they show is up to you to see them as you want, not what they want to show you. No one has ever understood that kind of thing nature can do.'

'Okay, _now_ I think he's off his rocker,' said Nocturne, ignoring the look Khan had just given him and instead staring at Valkron in horrified fascination.

The crusader turned around. The others backed off at the sight of her face, but it was only for a moment. She turned back and held out a hand to the knight. 'Let's go, Valkron. We've got to find out where the portal is, and quickly enough. Devar and the rest can support themselves now.'

'Isn't it funny?' said Valkron, almost dreamily. 'When we can't find the portal when we're looking for it? It's as if something's showing us the truth but we're not interpreting it right. Just like the leaves above.'

There was a silence. Nocturne's face looked as if he didn't believe whatever Valkron had just said, but Emeth had a look of realisation and he wasn't the only one.

'What do you mean, Valkron?' asked Iruna cautiously.

'You know what I mean.' The knight looked at her straight in the eye. 'You should understand.'

The crusader held his gaze for a moment longer and then looked away. There was something in Valkron's eyes that she could not bear to see. It reminded her of a lot of things that she wanted to forget.

And then, with an amazing speed, Valkron was back to who he originally was. 'Well, we shouldn't dawdle around here any longer,' he said briskly, getting up and dusting his cloak. 'We have to get going. The portal could be becoming stronger by the minute, and we wouldn't want that.' He strode off, and everyone, stunned by his change of behaviour, did not follow.

When they did, however, and caught him up, he was looking up at the skies above. Nocturne opened his mouth but Valkron got there first.

'Look,' he said, pointing upwards.

Everyone looked up. Gradually one by one the people around them looked up as well, halting midway in anything they were doing to see what was the fuss about.

It was a very big fuss that deserved attention.

'_Snow?_' said Aldev. 'In _summer_?'

'I don't think you could call it summer anymore, Aldev,' said Emeth, holding out his hand as he gazed into the sky. 'It looks more like a magic-induced winter to me.'

'Oh, for once will you just keep your gob shut about your magical theories?' snapped Samaroh, but his tone of voice did not bother the wizard. It did not, in fact, bother _anyone_. The snow falling, the grey skies above, the swirling, thunderous clouds above them, all sucked it away.

A tiny, delicate snowflake alighted softly on Emeth's palm. As the others continued to stare at the whirl of tiny white feathers falling towards them the wizard examined the snowflake. He frowned.

Valkron reached out and let a snowflake drop into his palm. He brought his hand down and stared at the tiny feathery ice nestling in his gauntleted hand. He blinked, once, twice, and then brought it up to his face and stared at it even harder.

It was very quiet except for the uneasy shuffling of someone in the area, so quite a lot of people jumped when Emeth and Valkron's voices suddenly said, 'Look at the snowflakes.' The party looked around them guiltily and noticed that Emeth was holding his between a forefinger and a thumb and holding it up to the light, while Valkron was still staring at his.

'What now?' said Samaroh irritably. His experience the previous day had not been very helpful with his mood. 'Don't tell me we have to get involved with a little morning _snowflakeology_--'

'No, really, you should see this,' said Emeth, rolling the snowflake in his fingers. 'It's not giving off a pure white light like normal snow does. It's like the surface of a bubble. You can see many colours as you change the angle from which you're viewing it.'

'Oh, just smash the bothersome thing in your hand and let's get going,' said Samaroh.

Valkron clenched the fist in which the snowflake lay and opened his hand. 'It looks like you can't just smash them with your hand, Samaroh,' he said, looking at the sparkling diamond still resting in his palm, unshattered and unscathed.

'This isn't normal,' said the wizard, dropping his snowflake. 'Winter during summer, strange snowflakes, swirling clouds that don't even look remotely like winter clouds...it's all getting on my nerves. And haven't you noticed? Although there's sunlight there's no sun. It's been blocked by the clouds above us.'

There was shouting from one side of the village. Everyone looked towards that side, where they could see a knight running towards them - slowly, it was true, but so determinedly that it didn't make a difference to him anyway.

'Devar?' said Valkron, turning in surprise. 'What's up?'

'Sir,' said the knight breathlessly, slowing to a stop in front of him. 'You've got to come and see this. Please.'

'We're leaving Payon soon, Devar,' said Valkron, ignoring the sighs of relief coming from the Payonese around them. 'We cannot delay. Our task is still our first priority.'

'No, seriously, sir,' said Devar, wiping the sweat off his forehead. 'Maybe your task involves this. We don't know, we just saw it, but it doesn't look good.'

Valkron stared at Devar for a little while longer before making up his mind. 'All right, lead the way then.'

Within minutes the whole party had reached the other nine Chivalry soldiers. All of them were talking anxiously between themselves, occasionally glancing around them rather nervously as if they were expecting civilians to be listening in on their conversations. At the sight of Valkron and Devar they immediately stood to attention.

'What is it, Devar?' said the knight commander, once they had come into hearing range of the group. 'What is it that worries you now?'

'Well, I'm not exactly sure what it means, but...' Devar seemed to be looking over Valkron's shoulder. '...maybe your wizard might know.'

'Where is it?' said Valkron. As an answer, Devar pointed past Valkron.

The Raulus party turned around - and gasped, even Valkron. Samaroh went white and fumbled for his book. Emeth's expression was horror and shock combined. Even the non-magic users were either fearful or horrified, and it was not without good reason.

High up in the sky, glowing an eerie violet against the swirling black clouds, were two massive concentric circles. In between them an ancient script was written. It seemed normal enough, but what was so terrifying about it was the ancient magic and the malice that poured off it. At first it would have looked like a magic circle to anyone, but there was no such thing that could radiate evil with such intensity. Nothing except this one.

After a few minutes of silence Valkron managed to say, 'What does your book say about this, Samaroh?'

'Uh...looking for it.' Samaroh's eyes were still fixed on the thing; it was an amazing feat that he was flipping hastily through his book without looking. But no one could blame him. None of the Raulus party could tear their eyes away from the symbol in the sky. It was as if although the evil within it was so powerful they were somehow drawn to it.

'Does you book say anything about this, Samaroh?' said Emeth, a few minutes later.

'It does, this book is about the forbidden arts and spells on how to counter them. Um...' The priest finally managed to tear his eyes away from the forbidding sight and focus properly. 'Um...it says here the circle is caused by infernal magic overwhelming new magic and does not forebode well.'

'In what way?' asked Nocturne, still staring up at the sign.

'Apparently whoever uses infernal magic will cast this sign to...to...oh, dear.'

At the sound of his tone everyone turned to look at him. Samaroh was shaking, a fearful look in his eyes. Emeth leaned over to look at the open page.

The silence was long, but it was finally broken. 'It says,' said Emeth quietly, not looking at anyone, 'that this is a spell that will eventually control the world and tear it apart into whatever the caster wishes. Including complete destruction.'

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Bonus: visit arcturus17. Copy-paste the link. Yeah, I drew it.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Valkron strode through the village, causing residents to scatter left and right out of his way. They did so with good reason - determination and purposefulness was pouring off him with such a force that overwhelmed everyone in its path. Behind him, keeping their distance but just as purposeful as their leader, the Raulus party hurried onwards towards the gates of Payon.

At the gates Devar, who had been trying his hardest to catch up with Valkron, finally managed to match the knight commander's pace.

'Sir, where are you going?' he panted, trying to keep in step with the white-haired knight. 'We have duties to carry out here! You can't leave now sir, we need you!'

'If I recall correctly, Devar, it's _you_ who has to carry out duties and not me. I don't seem to remember getting assigned to anything.'

'But you're under obligation to the Prontera Chivalry, sir!' said Devar, who seemed to be having difficulty with Valkron's rebellion. 'You're a knight commander of the Mercenary Division!'

Valkron turned on his heel so suddenly that Devar nearly tripped over the commander's plated foot. 'Exactly, Devar,' he said, in the cool voice that indicated a storm was about to break out over the other knight's head soon enough. 'I am a mercenary, therefore I am not bound to the service of the Chivalry. You, on the other hand, are and therefore you are obligated to obey the rules of the Prontera Chivalry. How clear can it get, Devar? Now leave us. We have something to do.'

Devar gaped at him as Valkron mounted his peco and gave its sides a gentle squeeze with his heels. It half-turned, but Devar lunged forward and grabbed its reins, nearly yanking them out of Valkron's hands. 'Please sir,' he pleaded. 'Stay, please! I beg you!'

Valkron looked down into Devar's eyes and saw the fear. He softened. The new spell that was now threatening their world was causing people to lose their minds was already beginning to affect the younger knight. This was not a good sign. Devar was the leader of the Payon dispatch and the others looked to him for instructions and orders. He shuddered to think what would happen if Devar lost his mind completely.

'Look, Devar,' he said gently, 'this mission of ours is vital to our survival. If we don't seek the source of that wretched spell and end it once and for all you can say goodbye to the existence of not only our civilisation, but the entire human race. You stay here and defend Payon. We must go on this journey now, Devar.'

The other knight sighed. To Valkron's surprise he seemed much calmer now. 'I'll remember that, sir,' he said, nodding. 'I'll keep to my word.'

Valkron smiled. 'That's good to hear. May Odin's spear spell victory for you, and may Tyr be on your side. I wish you luck.'

Devar stood to attention and ripped off a salute. Valkron returned it and looked at Iruna, who had lifted a corner of her blindfold to watch the conversation. She nodded at him, and, with one last look at Devar, Valkron rode off. Emeth ran alongside the peco and heaved himself over its back just as it picked up speed, while Eni got on behind Iruna.

Devar watched the party and its extension run out of the gates at full tilt and stood back. He had a determined expression on his face.

'I'll remember your words,' he said to himself. 'I swear that on my honour as a knight. Yes, I'll remember them...even when I'm drawing my last breath.'

'What's your plans now, Valkron?' asked Emeth as Payon disappeared into the forest. 'You _do_ know we can't just wander around. We don't have time.'

'I know,' said Valkron.

'That thing behind us is giving me the creeps,' said Eni from behind. 'How are we going to get rid of it? It seems so evil to me.'

'It _is_ evil,' said Samaroh, flipping through his book. If it hadn't been for Nocturne he would have walked straight into a tree. 'Pure evil drained off the caster's malicious intentions. Valkron, we're up against a tough enemy.'

'I know,' said Valkron.

'Then what can we do?' said Khan. Amaru was tailing him closely, his grey cart surprisingly silent as it bounced over tufts of grass and small tussocks. 'We don't even know what we're up against. Or who, for that matter. I'm assuming we're up against a person.'

'I know this is totally irrelevant to the current topic,' said Aldev somewhat timidly, 'but are there any villages around that haven't been affected by monster raids or behavioural changes? I'm sure we need provisions.'

Valkron stopped his peco and looked over his shoulder. 'Aldev, I'm sure you'd be very much delighted to contribute to this expedition which no doubt you're thinking of as a picnic on a sunny day, and if you have any great ideas I suggest you take on the front. How's that sound to you?'

Aldev muttered something about not taking the matter as a picnic.

'Well, then you're thinking of something else then I'm sure of it,' said Valkron, winking to Emeth. The wizard was already trying not to laugh. 'I just don't know your mindset, haha--'

'Oh for the love of Saga, will you just stop bragging?' the monk abruptly snarled, startling Nocturne. 'You're just trying to establish yourself as the _leader_, aren't you? You're trying to make yourself sound _great_, so that people will look up to you as a hero, am I right? Even though you tell us you're not interested in fame you're secretly trying to get people to hero-worship you! Whoever thought _you'd_ make a great knight, you two-faced, crazy hypocrite!'

It seemed that everyone was holding their breath for quite some time after he had finished speaking. They were gazing at Valkron's back. He had brought his peco to a stop a few minutes into Aldev's outburst.

Emeth hastily hopped off the peco and backed off without taking his eyes off Valkron's white-grey cloak - all that could be seen of his back. Even Amaru, whose indifference was extremely obvious at first sight, looked quite shocked. He was not aware that his cigarette was in danger of falling out of his mouth.

Valkron looked back after a few minutes and gave Aldev a sunny smile. It was yet another shock to the party, who was used to Valkron erupting into another of his bad moods.

'Very nice, Aldev,' he said brightly, 'but it's clear you truly don't know me yet. You were wonderful in pointing out common flaws in an individual's mind from a general point of view but unfortunately,' he adjusted his visor coolly, 'I'm not an individual you can observe from a general point of view. Therefore everything you said, while being completely true for most people, was wrong for me. Continue walking, Aldev. If you have anything you wish to discuss you are welcome to. Emeth, how did you get over there so fast?'

'Uh...teleportation,' supplied the wizard. Samaroh elbowed him in the ribs in annoyance.

'Well, get on if you don't want to get tired. We've got a long way to go,' said Valkron.

'Where are we going, seriously?' queried Eni tentatively.

Valkron gave them a thumbs up. 'I feel quite alive today,' he said. 'How about a trip back to Prontera?'

* * *

'Okay, I know this is getting annoying,' said Eni, 'but I want to go over what Valkron said. Did he say we were going to Prontera?'

'Yes,' said Samaroh, who was sitting sidesaddle behind Iruna and looking extremely bored.

'And did he say why we were going to Prontera?'

'To look for clues,' answered the priest.

'And of what nature are these clues?'

'He didn't say.'

'Did he hint at the clues being extremely difficult to figure out?'

'He specified fiendishly.'

'But he said that you and Emeth could probably figure them out?'

'Yes.'

Eni walked for a moment in silence, her lunatic sleeping in her cart. Then she said, 'I'm still not too clear about why we're going to Prontera.'

'Of all things, will you just keep quiet and let us walk in peace?' said Samaroh irritably. 'I'm trying to sleep, if you hadn't noticed, and I'd like it very much if you keep that in mind, even if the idea of silence isn't entirely familiar with you.'

'Will you _both_ shut up?' said Emeth, looking over his shoulder. 'I think both of you aren't entirely familiar with the idea of having a leader, am I right? Valkron will tell us whatever's on his mind when he wants to, and you're not about to change that. Now keep it down or we'll leave you to the wolves, how's that?'

'You seem really protective of him, aren't you?' said Eni suspiciously, while Iruna sighed in exasperation astride her peco. 'Why are you always defending him? Maybe Aldev's right. Maybe Valkron _is_ a two-faced, crazy hypocrite.'

Emeth swung around. Eni, Nocturne and Khan ducked as his staff, which had been supported on his shoulder, swung with him.

'One more word out of you guys,' he said dangerously, 'and it's fire for you till you're all nice and crispy, hey? Don't say I didn't warn you.'

'For once I'll have to agree with him,' said Iruna tiredly.

There was a cough from behind. Everyone looked at Amaru.

'Wolves drawing in,' he said curtly, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

After that the journey was much faster.

They reached Prontera before nightfall, much to the relief of most of the party. Aldev was the only one who did not look like he was relieved - in fact he was extremely grouchy and snapped at anyone who talked to him. This did not improve the atmosphere one bit.

Valkron watched them from his peco and shook his head. They would learn to get to know each other eventually. The 'eventually' bit was giving him problems, though. It was deeply troubling him.

He surveyed the squabbling rabble and frowned. It was certainly a hurdle they had to jump over in a few days' time, and it was a very large hurdle. It could only be cleared if they worked together, he was sure of that.

He started to turn around, his peco chewing impatiently on its bit, but he caught sight of Samaroh. He raised an eyebrow. The priest was gazing at the ground very intently and, as Valkron watched, lifted his eyes to focus on Aldev. Although Samaroh was not partial to staring at people he was certainly doing it quite intensely at the monk. Valkron knew then that the priest had realised something was not right.

The knight shrugged vaguely to himself. He would ask Samaroh later on. For now they had to get through the sealed gates of the capital city.

'Come on, all of you,' he said, raising his voice over theirs, 'let's get a move on. We need the western gates unsealed before nightfall. I'm not too keen on staying out here too long and I 'm sure you're not either.'

Emeth walked past him, waving his staff. 'I'll do it. Besides I'm not interested in arguing anymore, whatever they say.'

'That would most probably be the wisest thing to do int he current situation,' said Valkron carefully, watching Emeth point his staff head at the seals pasted across the gates.

The wizard concentrated. The jewel atop his staff glowed green, and so did the seals. The light intensified, and then green lightning from the staff struck the seals squarely in the centre, before there was a brief flash of violet light and the seals were reduced to charred rectangular marks on the gates. Emeth lowered his staff and nodded at Valkron, who rode straight at them. His peco lowered its head. The full weight of both knight and peco crashed into the gates at full tilt.

Valkron turned his peco around. The great bird shook its head as he nodded at the others waiting at a safe distance before turning back and riding briskly into the city. The rest of the party followed.

Prontera was a ghost city. The evacuation of civilians from the city had left the place in a mess. The city was suddenly a lot greyer and even though cold winds had blown through the city before the wind that was now chilling the party to their bones made the city feel desolate and empty. Windows hung open and black, doors banged against walls hollowly, litter lay scattered all over the cobbles. What was once a proud city now was a silent, deserted ground.

Valkron shuddered slightly. Maybe this was what whoever wanted to destroy their world intended. Empty cities that only contained nothing more than memory. This was not what Valkron wanted to have happening.

'Excuse me, Valkron,' said Samaroh's voice. The knight looked to his left, where Iruna had stopped. The priest was standing in between the pecos.

'What is it?' said Valkron, surprised. He knew Samaroh had made it a point not to talk much to him.

'I'd like permission to visit the Prontera Library. I might find what we need there,' said the priest stiffly.

Valkron nodded. 'Permission granted, but won't you want to have someone accompany you? There might be things lurking in here.'

'I'll go,' piped up Nocturne. Samaroh gave it some thought and agreed to it. Valkron watched both of them head off north and then turned to the others.

'All right. We're only going to spend a night here, so find some shelter and then we're going to see if Emeth can tell anything from here.' Valkron raised his eyebrows. 'Any questions?'

Eni raised a hand. 'Why are we doing this?'

'To look for clues as to the location of the portal.'

'I know that. I mean, why are we looking for clues? Why can't we just search every city we come to?'

Valkron rolled his eyes. 'One, we're wasting time. Look at the skies. Do you think our world's going to take more battering for a long time? I don't think so. Two, I'm _sure_ you don't want to visit places like Niflheim so we'll miss it and if it's there it's again wasting time to go back and search there. If you want to search there, that is.'

'Oh.' Eni settled back.

'Any more questions?' said Valkron, looking around.

'Yeah, I've got one,' said Aldev, from the back. 'Why don't we just let whoever it is do it their way? After all, you don't like doing things for other people.'

Amaru, who had his hammer hooked over his shoulder, abruptly turned slightly. Consequently the monk received a faceful of hammer.

'I like Amaru's answer,' said Valkron, nodding at the blacksmith who waved it off nonchalantly. 'Keep that in mind. Okay, let's get going.'

An abandoned inn ended up the Raulus' temporary shelter. After securing rooms on the first floor for easy escape when occasion called for it, they spilled out onto the chilly streets to Prontera Plaza.

Emeth stood in the middle and closed his eyes. The others sans Nocturne and Samaroh arranged themselves into a circle to watch whatever he was going to do. Aldev did not gather with them - he chose to stand a little way away and watch the proceedings sulkily.

Everyone watched as the wizard started muttering under his breath. He turned his face up to the dark clouds overhead and closed his eyes. The cold wind making them shiver was suddenly nullified by a stronger, warmer wind that sprang to life and whirled around Emeth, causing his cloak to spread out and flap. He was holding his staff, and as he began to lift his arms the gem atop it began to glow white.

Halfway through whatever he was doing the spectators had to step away from him, most of them shielding their faces from the sand and grit that had begun to circulate around him. As they backed off a magic circle winked into life on the ground, with Emeth in its centre. The light from it gave the illusion that the circle was rising upwards.

Valkron watched, his face illuminated by the light from both Emeth's staff and the circle around his feet. If he had been less concentrated on the wizard's spellcasting he would have noticed Aldev staring with a hungry look on his face. The knight, however, was interested in what Emeth was doing and so did not see anything around him.

The muttering became what it really was - a full incantation. They heard the terrible words of the wizard's language, derived from the old words of the world. Above Emeth energy gathered into a concentrated ball of light that shimmered, glimmered and flowed. Sometimes the light was beautiful and simple, sometimes it was mysterious and dark, and sometimes it was terrifying. But no matter what they felt they could not take their eyes off it. Its power seemed to attract them to it.

Just as they felt they could take it no longer Emeth, whose arms were raised to the sky, clapped his hands together. Much to the shock of the watchers the ball of light shot into him and vanished from sight as if he had absorbed it. They watched him in apprehension.

Emeth bowed his head. Apart from his breathing, which had grown heavy, there seemed to be no change to him. But the state was short-lived, for he suddenly opened his eyes and Valkron stepped back in horror.

They were glowing.

Because they were used to it the members of the Raulus party threw themselves aside as he raised his staff, but none of them were prepared for the massive spell he cast thirty seconds later. A mixture of fire and ice erupted from his staff and shot into the air. The ground shook under their feet and the windows of the houses around them shattered. The unseen force of the spell blew tiles off roofs, caused abandoned stalls to crumble as if they were made of paper and sent everyone stumbling back.

As glass shards showered around everyone Valkron pulled his visor over his eyes and looked up to see the hybrid spell travel into the skies, trailing sizzling sparks and glittering shards of ice. The two streams of fire and frost intertwined and gave the spell the thrust it needed. The light from it was so bright it illuminated the entire city as it flew upwards.

There was an explosion far above. Sparks and shards flew across the city. However the trail went off in a completely different direction, towards the northwest. It stayed for a long time.

Emeth dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. Valkron ran over to his side and knelt down beside him. 'Are you all right, Emeth?' he asked urgently.

The wizard seemed to have difficulty breathing, but it calmed down one minute later. His shoulders relaxed. 'I'm fine now, nothing to worry about,' he said, looking up at Valkron. He clapped the knight on the shoulder. 'Thanks for caring, though.'

Valkron was taken aback. He had never been told this before, and had absolutely no idea how to return it. 'Uh...really?'

'Yeah, really.' Emeth got to his feet unsteadily. Valkron helped him to stand upright. Then they looked up.

'Looks like we've got to look for a city northwest of here,' said Emeth, eventually. 'I can't seem to recall what lies northwest of here though. DO you remember?'

Valkron shrugged. 'Don't know either. I haven't been on any mission for a couple of years, so count me out for any city-locating.' He spotted two figures gazing up at the sky. 'Hey, Samaroh, Nocturne!'

The two of them turned to look at Valkron. He saw Samaroh say something to Nocturne before walking towards them. Emeth stepped respectfully out of the way as the priest reached where they were standing.

Valkron raised his eyebrows at the priest. Samaroh responded by hooking his arm around Valkron's and promptly dragging him away from Emeth. The wizard was gracious enough to stay where he was and not protest although he looked slightly annoyed by this secretive behaviour.

Only when Samaroh and Valkron were standing quite far from the others did the priest speak. 'I looked up quite a bit on portals and such, and I think we hit on something.'

'Does it play a major role in whatever's happening now?' said Valkron. When Samaroh nodded he said, 'Then we should share this with the others.'

'Wait! Sorry, I meant just...hang on. I can't exactly divulge these secrets to all and sundry. Do you get what I mean?'

'Does this have anything to with magic again?' said Valkron.

'Uh...well, somewhat. But magic doesn't really play much of a part here,' Samaroh added hurriedly, seeing Valkron's expression. 'It's more like...history.'

'History?'

'Mm.' The priest drew a small, thin book from his robes. It had a rather faded grey cover and the letters on it were mostly gone.

'This book,' he said in a low voice, 'was banned by the St Abbey Monastery because they claimed it was blasphemy against the gods. The Prontera Royal Court joined in, saying that it also had thunderous denunciations against the city.'

'So then how did you get it?' said Valkron.

Samaroh gave him a look. 'I may be a priest but I ain't all angelic and do-gooder. Get the point?'

'Ah.'

'I got this book from a friend and placed it in between the pages of a much thicker book in the Restricted section of the Prontera Library for safekeeping. Thankfully no one's realised it was there all along.'

'What's it called?'

'I've forgotten the name, but it's about the origins of this world. It doesn't speak about what Odin and his brothers did and all the other stories that came with that--'

'Which explains why the monastery banned it,' said Valkron, nodding.

'--but it does offer something more logical for those atheists out there. Somewhere in it - hang on, let me find the page - is about the Old Empire.'

'Hang on,' said the knight, causing Samaroh to pause in his flipping. 'This isn't all about the Blood Ages again, is it?'

'It is.'

'Oh, great. Does it also involve the last emperor?'

'Y-- How did you guess?'

'To be frank I've had a feeling all along that we're dealing with something not human,' said the knight, rolling his eyes.

'Just - just wait a bit...ah yes, here we are.' Samaroh opened the book. 'The words are in the old language so I'll translate it for you. This chapter relates about the reign of the last emperor, Ilham Vedlavin, and how the Blood Ages came to an end with him getting overthrown and executed for his crimes. It's pretty much that, but a little note at the end of the chapter hints that Emperor Vedlavin attempted to open a portal to prevent the Fair Wardens from overthrowing him.'

'If I'm right, the portal is similar to the one happening now.'

'Exactly. What it lets in, actually, is unclear, but that particular portal also allowed old magic to enter the world and distort everything in it. Fortunately the Fair Wardens stopped it before it could cause the world to collapse on itself and consequently dethroned Emperor Vedlavin.'

'Did it say how?'

'No clues there, sorry. However the book also says that Emperor Vedlavin's courtiers were not too happy with the Fair Wardens declaring the empire's fall and I think some of them tried to resurrect the emperor.'

'Oh, no.' Valkron covered his eyes. 'How far did they succeed?'

'Did you read this bit before?' asked Samaroh suspiciously.

'I've never read about it before, only heard it. But there are some things which get pretty predictable.'

'Hm. Well, they succeeded partially. Someone tipped off the Fair Wardens and they ambushed the courtiers. You can imagine the anger of the Warden Commander. They executed them on the spot.'

'Ouch.'

'We're not too sure if the courtiers were summoning Vedlavin or some lesser entity, perhaps his right-hand man. In those days the emperor's right-hand man was known as the Blood Judge, because he had the right to execute people as well as consider major matters. No one liked him, to tell you the truth.'

'The last one?' said Valkron.

'Yes. His name was Argath Iruvedla.'

'Was he related to Vedlavin in any way?'

'Er...no. Why?'

'Because their names sound somewhat similar, that's all.' Valkron rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'So we're up against a really tough opponent, aren't we? Hm...it looks like we best work together on this. Especially you.'

Samaroh looked taken aback. 'What? What's wrong with me?'

Valkron looked him in the eye. 'Because you are a pompous, argumentative priest. I'm thankful you aren't some bible-thumping religious wannabe saint, but whatever you are now isn't exactly too comforting either. Did you find that helpful?'

The priest stared at him for a few minutes. Valkron was impressed that he could hold the gaze for so long. Then Samaroh's eyes narrowed and his jaw hardened.

'Well, I certainly know that whatever Aldev said wasn't true, but I think you should get to know us before you shoot your mouth off. How's that sound?'

Valkron closed his eyes and snorted. 'Sounds like you need to do the same, Samaroh.'

The two men stayed that way for a few more minutes before the knight looked up at him. 'So, why were you watching Aldev really closely then? I'm sure you saw something.'

Samaroh shrugged. 'Can't be too sure, really. I thought he was leaving strange footsteps behind him. But then again maybe I was just seeing things. I usually do when I'm not really stable.'

'Right. Stable.' Valkron looked at the rest. Aldev was standing to the side and watching the trail of light above him. 'We'll see soon enough, I guess.'

'Okay then, I'll be off,' said the priest, ramming his cap back onto his head. 'See you.'

Valkron watched him walk off with a distinct feeling that he had failed in trying to get to know others. It was one of his social failings.

'How was it?' said Emeth from behind. Valkron jumped and turned to tell him off, but then he suddenly he didn't feel like getting angry with the wizard. He sighed. 'Nothing much, just a lot of history.'

Emeth rubbed the tip of his nose thoughtfully. 'So are we heading for whatever lies northwest of here?'

'No. We sleep first. I have a feeling we're not going to get much sleep after today. Let's go into the inn.'

'But we don't even know if it's night or day.'

'Who cares if you're a nocturnal or diurnal creature when the world gets destroyed? Come on, let's go.'

The wizard nodded and half-turned. 'Hey, everyone! Let's get into the inn!'

'Aw, must we?' said Eni.

'Yes you must! Get in!'

And that, thought Valkron, was pretty much what he couldn't do without threatening first.

* * *

The night in the inn was uncomfortable. He wasn't too sure about the others, but Valkron found it far too cold to sleep. The wind rattled his armour, hung up near the door, and swirled throughout the entire room. Wherever he picked for a sleeping spot the wind would get into it.

Finally he put his armour back on and stepped out of the inn. He didn't feel so tired but he knew soon enough the others would. Therefore he'd choose to let them sleep while he kept on watch.

He stood outside the door for a long time, beside his peco. The great bird could sleep even though it was highly exposed to the wind, and after it had sleepily registered its master's presence it had, literally, taken him under its small wing. Valkron made himself comfortable and listened to the bird's deep breathing as he watched the city.

The feathered, battle-trained body was much warmer than he had expected. Valkron felt his eyelids drop and tried to keep them open, but it had been a long time since he had rested in something soft and warm.

Sometime later he woke with a jerk. He hadn't realised he had dropped off to sleep. With some difficulty for he felt stiff, he wriggled into a better position and leaned back, ready to fall asleep again when he realised that the wind was howling.

There was something black approaching Prontera.

Valkron sat up straight, staring at the black mass. His peco grunted in protest and shifted a little, but he placed a hand on its colourful beak and made a hushing sound. It would not do good to attract the attention of whatever was heading their way.

The black mass grew bigger as it approached Prontera. Valkron stayed perfectly still, his eyes unmoving as he watched. Whatever was coming was descending upon the city like a swarm of black bees.

In a few minutes the black cloud was all over Prontera. Whatever that comprised it settled on rooftops, buildings, stalls, statues, benches, everywhere. Valkron could see fluttering wings but that was all he knew. He still wasn't too sure what they were so he kept still and gently squeezed his peco's beak to make sure that it stayed silent.

As the wings whirled around him some of them came together and began to cluster around. Valkron never took his eyes off them as they formed the shape of a man. Slowly but surely they solidified and became a hooded, cloaked man. He stepped forward and raised his hidden face to the sky. The wings whirled around him with their soft fluttering sounds.

'At last,' he said. 'At last.'

Valkron kept still. His bird was shivering in fear. One of his hands slid under its wing and stroked its side to calm it down. They were both not far from the man but the reason why he had not seen them was because both were right behind an abandoned stall. If anyone had seen them from under it they would have assumed that the two were just bodies, given the position of both of them.

The man took a few steps forward, his boots clunking heavily on the cobbles. He lifted a gloved hand and looked at it. Then he pointed at a nearby bench.

The bench flew apart. Valkron's peco twitched. The knight continued to stroke the bird. His breathing seemed very loud in the silence of the city, and his heart was thundering in his ears with every beat. Fear was keeping him frozen to where he was, for the man that stood blackly even against the grey sky had maliciousness pouring off him.

The black wings had settled all over the place now, except for Valkron and his peco. The man looked around at the city.

'Well now,' he said. Valkron loathed the voice. It grated against his eardrums and awakened deep rage within him. 'Well now. This city is as empty as Geffen and Al de Baran. Oh, how I love the sound of silence and death. Too bad we did not prevent the people leaving this city, but they cannot escape forever.

'So now we have achieved part of our plan. We have taken over the north of this wretched world. Soon our prisoners will become our slaves, sent to ravage the world into barren lands and uninhabitable places. I cannot wait to see emptiness once again. Do you?'

The wings made horrible chirping sounds in agreement. Valkron winced but he did not move.

'The southern lands will soon be ours, my pets, but first we must achieve one of our plans. For this world needs a new master. Our emperor wants to make sure there is a successor with as much darkness as he had deep in his heart. And there are potential candidates for such a position, indeed.'

The wings chirped again. Valkron found himself frowning. A successor? But wouldn't Vedlavin desire to return to the world he once ruled, to grip it in his iron fist once again?

And who would that successor be?

'But before we begin discussing our plans, I'm sure everyone would like to know the name of the guest who has kindly decided to attend tonight's meeting. A guest who shares as much darkness as our beloved emperor himself.'

It happened all too fast. The man lifted his hand again. The stall in front of Valkron and his peco vapourised into dust and then the knight found himself looking up into the hood of the person he suddenly knew it to be.

Argath Iruvedla, Blood Judge of the Old Empire.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The man towered over Valkron, his dark hood looking down on the knight. Valkron, however, did not feel afraid of the apparition before him. The small voice in his head was calmly telling him that the person in front of him was posing no danger to him. There was nothing to fear.

'I have yearned to meet you, Valkron,' he said softly. 'For so long I have watched over this world, letting my passion for blood seek out someone fit for the position. And now I have found the right man for the job, it seems.'

Valkron looked coolly up at Argath. 'I'm not interested in anything you offer me, Argath. There isn't any attraction in your so-called gift.'

As the wings chirped at this, the Blood Judge chuckled mirthlessly. 'Oh, yes. I knew you would say that. But do you know that of all your friends here you are, indeed, the darkest, angriest one of them all? And yet you claim yourself to be a warrior of the world? They are of purest mind and heart, and you corrupt their name with your own assumptions?'

'I believe in my own rules, Argath, and no one else's. Like our resident priest said, "I may be a priest but I ain't all angelic and do-gooder".'

'How wonderful friendship is,' said Argath. 'And yet you still don't trust anyone, least of all yourself. Why don't you practise what you preach, Valkron?'

'I don't preach,' replied the knight. 'I instruct.'

Argath's laughter echoed through the streets. Valkron winced as the grating sound reverberated in his eardrums, but he stayed where he was. He could not show any weakness for Argath to penetrate.

'That is exactly why we need you on the throne, Valkron. You have an excellent sense of what is right and what is wrong. Therefore if we carry out our plans you will become one of the best emperors the New Empire would have ever had!'

Valkron nearly spluttered with anger. 'Excuse me? The _New_ Empire? Whatever for? This world doesn't need an empire any longer!'

'That is what _you_ believe, Valkron,' said Argath. His gloved hands went to his hood and he wrapped his fingers around the hem. 'But after this...is it what you truly believe?'

He lowered his hood.

* * *

The first floor of the inn was in silence, only broken by gentle snoring. It was completely dark and such light that was entering the floor was very dim.

If anyone had cared to peek into the rooms they would have seen the members of the Raulus party in various positions in their beds. In the silence only their deep breathing could be heard, as well as an occasional snore. Sometimes someone would shift, sometimes someone would twitch and mutter.

For some reason Emeth's eyes opened suddenly, as if he had been abruptly awoken. He blinked several times at the cobwebbed ceiling in confusion before remembering where he was. He sat up and massaged his head before he looked around at the dusty room.

After a few minutes he swung his legs free of the blankets and off the bed, and slipped his feet into his shoes. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong but he didn't exactly know what it was. Other than his breath fogging up his vision, that was.

Slipping his cloak on and wrapping it around him to keep out the cold, he walked downstairs, his shoes tapping quietly on the wood. He tried not to touch the railing as much as he could as it was grimy and it creaked. It would not do to make a sound in the inn.

It was even colder on the ground floor. Emeth shivered unconsciously and looked about him. The light from the ghastly spell above dimly illuminated the city, but for some reason the shadows that lay across the floor were dappled. There was also a very unpleasant feeling lingering in the air, he thought. It was the kind of feeling that did not forbode well in his mind.

He crept to the window and peered out of it. There were black-purple moth-like shadows on the windows, occasionally waving a wing or two. It was these that made him back off in disgust. They gave off a stench of dark magic that he was not comfortable with.

But deep inside him he felt something lift its muzzle and enjoy the dark magic in the air. He felt his fingers twitch and forced himself to stay calm. It would not do good for him to lose control now.

After a moment's thinking he quietly went upstairs and nudged Iruna.

'Wfrgl...hmm?' She sat up sleepily. 'What-- oh, it's you, Emeth.'

'Get dressed and come down,' whispered the wizard urgently. 'You've got the holy power with you. I think we need it.'

'Oh, why me? Samaroh is by far more practised with the holy power,' said Iruna, raising an eyebrow.

'Because you behave better than him and seriously I think the situation also needs someone who can kill pretty fast. I know you don't kill unless it's necessary,' he added hastily, seeing Iruna's expression, 'but it would help.'

'Oh, very well. Get out of my room and let me change.'

It was amazing she could dress quite quickly, except that it was without her armour. She only strapped on her gauntlets and her belt, and made sure her two-handed sword was in place before taking her great shield with her. They made their way down to the ground floor and went over to the window that Emeth had peered through.

The first thing Iruna did was to back off. She waved her hand in front of her face as if an offending smell had suddenly materialised in the room. 'Ugh, this is awful.'

'I know,' agreed Emeth. 'The dark magic really stinks, doesn't it?'

'I wonder how practitioners of the dark arts can really stand the smell.' Iruna held her arm to her nose and moved forward, not making any sound with her soft leather moccasins. 'What _is_ going out there?'

'I don't know, but I couldn't stand the smell either so I didn't get to see it properly,' said the wizard, watching her peer out into the city. 'And what are those things on the window? Do they even exist?'

'Yes,' said Iruna, her voice half-muffled by her sleeve. 'Darkwings. They follow a dark entity like gulls follow a fishing trawler, to feed off the dark magic emitting into the atmosphere. I'm not too sure what else they do, but the stench is appalling and it can send off even the most trained wizard, sage or priest into a faint.'

'It certainly is for me,' muttered Emeth.

'Something very dark is out there,' she said, tilting her head to one side. 'I can't really see-- oh my , is that Valkron?'

'What?' said Emeth. Forgetting about the smell, he scrambled up to the window.

They saw Valkron sitting with his back to his peco, covered by one wing and looking up. Iruna looked at what he was looking at and barely stifled a gasp. There was a hooded, cloaked figure standing before him.

Just at that moment Emeth managed to stifle a retch. 'Tyr's beard,' he said, 'who in the world is that? The dark magic pouring off him is ghastly.'

'I have no idea,' replied Iruna, 'but he doesn't seem to be human. Or alive, as a matter of fact.'

'Then what the _hell_ is he doing here?'

'Hush, he's talking.'

The man was just asking, 'They are of purest mind and heart, and you corrupt their name with your own assumptions?' when they managed to catch what he was saying. Valkron answered softly so they did not hear what he said, but the figure followed up his question with, 'How wonderful friendship is. 'And yet you still don't trust anyone, least of all yourself. Why don't you practise what you preach, Valkron?'

'I don't preach,' replied Valkron impassively. 'I instruct.'

The laughter that rang through the streets made Emeth and Iruna wince. It was a terrible sound, like someone running fingernails on a board. The crusader shuddered while the wizard ran his fingers across his teeth to get rid of the horrible sensation.

'That is exactly why we need you on the throne, Valkron. You have an excellent sense of what is right and what is wrong. Therefore if we carry out our plans you will become one of the best emperors the New Empire would have ever had!'

They could hear Valkron's anger in the words he said. 'Excuse me? The _New_ Empire? Whatever for? This world doesn't need an empire any longer!'

'That is what _you_ believe, Valkron,' said the figure, his hands going up to his hood. 'But after this...is it what you truly believe?'

He threw back his hood.

Emeth choked and reeled back, covering his mouth and nose. Iruna almost retched but checked herself in time and whispered a hasty prayer, gripping the cross around her neck so tightly her knuckles showed had gone white.

Outside there Valkron was no exception. His resoluteness had broken. When the two of them recovered and looked out of the window he had his head turned away from the figure and had buried his face in his hands. The man standing in front of him was clearly gloating at the knight's reaction, as if it was what he had wanted all along.

'Wait a minute,' whispered Emeth, a little muffled because his hand was covering his nose and mouth. 'I know him. By description, not by acquaintance.'

'Wha-- Who is he?' whispered back Iruna, sinking below the windowsill so that no one would see them.

'I'm not too sure if I'm right or not, but I do think...it's someone called the Blood Judge.'

'And who is that?'

Emeth gave her a look. 'I thought everyone knew this. Blood Judge of the Old Empire? Right-hand man of the Emperor?'

'_Oh_, him. I thought he was dead.'

'It's a really long story and it'll take most of the night to tell it. This isn't a night to start telling it, really...' Emeth's voice faltered and then came back. '...but you'll get to know it, one day. Right now I think-- what the hell is that sound?'

It was the sound of chuckling, to be precise, but the sound was so unlike chuckling that it took them a few minutes to realise what was going on. They peered out to see the Blood Judge leaning down to look at Valkron, who appeared to be shaking violently.

'How does it feel, Valkron?' he said, his tone gleeful. 'How does it feel to look into the depths of your own heart and see what you really fear? Those things you saw, Valkron, is the darkness of your heart, the things you don't dare face because you can't accept the person you are. With all your attempts to see through other people, you fail to pay to attention to yourself. Interesting how humans destroy their lives without even realising it, don't you think?'

The Blood Judge straightened up. Now the two of them could see the long hair that hung to his shoulders. Dark liquid was flowing along the strands and dripping off the ends.

'Now you know how the darkness looks like,' he said smugly. 'The question is...will you embrace it and accept that you are indeed the one for the throne, or will you deny it - and die a slow death from your own wounds?'

Valkron was clearly not in good shape, but he was making the effort to keep his mind. His voice was strained 'I will not...fall prey...to my own desires...'

For a moment the Blood Judge seemed surprise and then he shifted slightly. When he spoke next his voice was cold and gloating. 'Very well. I can see you have decided your own fate. Your decision is your own undoing...so don't blame me for anything, hm?'

Whatever happened next was too fast. The Blood Judge drew a mighty black sword from his belt and plunged it into Valkron's leg. The knight cried out in pain. Emeth and Iruna watched in horror as black energy edged with violet streamed out from the wound.

The man sank the blade even deeper into the knight's flesh. At this Emeth got to his feet swearing in an undertone about torture, but Iruna forced him back down. They struggled against each other.

'What in the _world_ are you thinking, Emeth?' hissed Iruna. 'You don't want to let him see you!'

'I'm not going to allow Valkron to suffer more than we do!' replied Emeth, his eyes glowing. 'He doesn't deserve it! He may be a reckless, selfish middle-aged fool but there's no such bloody law in this world that says a man has to go through what he can't bear!'

'Oh, really? Tell me where it's written then!' Iruna pushed him down. 'Now stay down! Valkron doesn't need more attention from that bloody judge, and neither do you! Do you want to die?'

'I don't give a damn!'

_'Even if you don't I do!'_

Emeth winced. Iruna's whispered shout was like a needle jabbing home.

There was a soft sound outside. The two of them froze and listened, barely daring to breathe. Iruna peered over the windowsill a minute later and Emeth followed her rather hesitantly.

The Blood Judge had put his hood up again. He reached out and pulled the sword out of Valkron's leg. Blood splattered everywhere, and Valkron - already far in pain - cried out for a second time. The man laughed mirthlessly at the knight's suffering before turning on his heel, his cloak swirling around like the edge of darkness. His boots clopped away, growing fainter and fainter. The darkwings took off in a flurry of wings, eager to feed off the dark magic that radiated off the Blood Judge.

Soon the city was empty again. Iruna finally released her grip on Emeth, and both of them ran out of the inn. Valkron was still gripping his leg, his eyes tightly shut.

The knight had no idea what was happening to him. After he had looked into Argath's eyes something dark and terrible had risen inside him, and he remembered every single thing that had happened in his life. He had locked away plenty of memories, things that he did not want to remember, but they came to the surface with the surge of everything he had pressured down for more than half his life. They ate away at everything he had now.

At one point his eyes had opened wide. He had felt _something_ take over his vision, turning colour into black and white. And deep inside him, a murderous taste for blood awoke and rose...

Emeth knelt beside the knight. He was gasping.

'Valkron! Come on, man, you can hear me!' The wizard reached out and grabbed the knight by the shoulders, but Iruna knocked off his hands. As he stared up at the crusader she went down on one knee and clasped the cross she wore around her neck. She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer.

The darkness within Valkron howled and screamed. A horrible buzzing noise rang in his ears as white light attempted to penetrate the dark shield around him. Light and shadow met and struggled with each other, battling for control inside Valkron. And with every blow they dealt at each other, pain surged through him, until he was positively writhing.

Emeth watched this in growing horror until he could not take it any longer. He reached forward and grabbed the knight by his shoulders. 'Stop it, Iruna! You're killing him! I said _stop it_!'

Iruna stopped, mainly out of shock. Valkron calmed down, still with his eyes closed, but it was not over. As he relaxed he suddenly opened his eyes. Emeth jerked backwards and Iruna gasped at the sight of his eyes.

The deep green was now with swirling black clouds.

The knight reached out, as if there was something in front of him that only he could see, his eyes staring blankly at nothing. His fingers strained as if to grab whatever it was. For one breathless moment that was how he was poised, and then he went limp. Iruna caught him as he slid down and lifted his head.

'Oh damn...is he all right?' said Emeth, suddenly fearful.

'I don't know,' whispered Iruna, her breath turning into mist as her shaking voice echoed in the night air. She cradled Valkron's head in her arms. 'He's barely breathing, and he feels so cold.'

'I'm going to get Samaroh,' said Emeth, getting to his feet. Iruna heard his running footsteps fade into the inn, but she hardly cared. The knight in her arms was not responding. He was pale and looked almost lifeless, and although he was wearing all his thick clothes he was cold to the touch.

The crusader held him close to her, trying to keep him warm. At the same time she could not help remembering something she had never wanted to remember again. In the darkness of the night a tear slid down her cheek as she gazed unseeingly at the silent buildings.

'Vanodar...' she whispered.

* * *

Samaroh had not been happy to be aroused from his sleep, but when he was told what had happened he set to work immediately. Iruna had brought Valkron up to an empty, much more sheltered room and unstrapped his armour. Then the priest had bustled in and shooed her out.

Emeth and Iruna waited anxiously outside the door. Samaroh seemed to be doing quite a lot. Occasionally there was a slosh of water, but more often white light would shine from under the door. Emeth tried listening through the keyhole, and found that Samaroh was almost ceaselessly muttering under his breath.

The wizard was also not too sure if Iruna was all right. She did not move from her position all the time as they waited, preferring instead to gaze unseeingly at the door. He hesitated for some time, and then gave up.

'You okay, Iruna?' he said. 'You've been staring at the same spot for quite some time. What's so interesting about a piece of dusty wood?'

Iruna kept silent for a while. Then, when Emeth had resigned himself to not getting an answer, she said, 'I was just thinking.'

'You know anything about this?' he said, jerking a thumb at the door.

'No, not that. I was thinking about...something else.'

Emeth raised an eyebrow. Talking to women was a usual thing for him, especially explaining to them that he was not eligible for marriage at the moment, but this was a different case. He knew sufficient women to understand that they were almost unpredictable at times.

'I had a brother,' said Iruna, speaking slowly as if she was thinking of every word. 'He looked like Valkron, except he had brown hair and grey eyes. My mother had him when I was two years old.'

The wizard blinked, but said nothing.

'Our parents died when we were still pretty young, but we were brought up by relatives. Everything was okay, not too bad.'

'I imagine your brother was a lot nicer than Valkron,' said Emeth.

'Yeah, he's completely the opposite of Valkron. But our parents' deaths left something on him. I'm still not clear what it was, but sometimes he would get really depressed or angry for no particular reason. He would apologise after that, but it was during those times I would be scared of him.

'Soon after my entry into the Order of Juno I met a blacksmith. He was nice to my brother and me, and later on he proposed marriage. I refused because I still wanted to take care of my brother, and I had my job to see to. That was when the blacksmith turned really ugly and showed his true colours.

'He ruined my job by setting me up, saying I was going against the Order and denouncing them as atheists and hypocrites. I was getting a good pay to help my brother and I get along, but then I lost it. My brother went into one of his angry moods and challenged the blacksmith.'

'Ouch,' said Emeth.

'The blacksmith swore to have a fair fight, because that was what you do when you battle with a knight or a crusader. But then he cheated and distracted my brother with all the things I had told him about our lives, driving him mad. Then when my brother was losing himself...' and here Iruna's voice broke.

Emeth reached out and grasped her shoulder. She was not wearing much of her massive armour.

Iruna was clearly stricken with grief, but she made an effort to continue. 'The blacksmith killed him. I lost my trust in men that day. Eni and Nocturne remind me of the happier days when my brother was alive, but that's it. Valkron reminds me of him too, but the other side of him. That's why I don't talk to him much.'

'I think Valkron would like it if you talked to him more,' said the wizard.

'Why?'

He shrugged. 'I don't know if it's true, but Valkron likes people to challenge his views. It seems to give him a bit of thinking to do, and it keeps him alert. You keep challenging him, in a way.'

'Well, I'm not. He's the leader. He can do whatever he thinks is right.'

'There you go. You're still challenging him, whatever you say. There's a question right there, a question he won't hesitate to ask himself. Does he really deserved being the leader? Does what he think count as "right"? I bet he'll think that way.'

'What makes you think so?'

'He's that kind of person.'

At that point the door opened and Samaroh emerged, rolling out his sleeves and smoothing the creases out of the cloth. The two of them looked up at him.

'How's he?' said Emeth, letting go of Iruna's shoulder.

The priest did not seem too keen on answering. He pointedly arranged his pack before he said anything. 'He'll be fine.'

There was something in the way Samaroh had answered, even then. 'What do you mean, Samaroh?'

'He'll recover.'

'What is it you're not telling us, Samaroh? Say it or I'll blast you,' warned Emeth.

The priest gave Emeth a withering look before replying. 'Well, if you could go and look at his leg before I come back with my book on curses you'll know what I'm not telling you. Now, excuse me.' He pushed past Emeth and disappeared around the corner.

The wizard swore, but Iruna had no time to be angry. She hurried into the room.

Valkron looked pale even in the darkness of the room. She was struck by how tired he looked and she was gentle as she touched him. He did not move.

Emeth came in behind her as she pushed the blanket aside and hesitantly pulled up Valkron's trouser leg to reveal a very neatly bandaged wound. But blood was already staining the white cloth, and all around the bandage was a great mark twisting and turning in serpentine curves and cruel claw-like hands. Above all, it was _growing_.

As they stared at it in horror Samaroh returned. He joined them and looked down at it.

'Bad, isn't it?' he said. 'Move aside. I'll have to deal with this the priest way, although I don't normally like exorcising.'

'It's your job,' said Emeth, holding up his hands and wandering off.

The priest ignored him and made the sign of a cross, touching his shoulders, chest and forehead with his eyes closed. He briefly grasped the cross hanging from his neck and then held the tome he normally carried flat in his palm. He placed his other hand on the cover, whispering, still with his eyes closed. Then he placed his hand over the wound.

White light gathered in little specks around the priest, before coming together between Samaroh's palm and Valkron's leg. As they gathered the specks converged into a ball of light. Samaroh was frowning in concentration, still holding his book in one hand.

When the light was at blinding point there was a flash and a soft [iwhoosh[/i. The light vanished.

Samaroh opened his eyes. To their disappointment - and to the priest's astonishment - the mark had not disappeared. It was still growing slowly, as if mocking his ineptitude.

'Looks like I'll have to do something stronger this time,' said the priest, opening his book and flipping through it. 'There's got to be something about this in here...'

'Hey, you're a priest, right?' said Emeth. 'Why don't you know your spells?'

'For one thing, I don't exorcise,' snapped Samaroh. 'I am a healer. Is that clear? Secondly these spells are so rarely used that no one ever bothers memorising them. This is just a rare occasion I have to do this, all right?'

'Then what's this I hear about the rewriting of the Magnus Exorcismus spell?' said Iruna.

Samaroh glared at her. She looked innocently back.

'It's nothing,' he said eventually. 'Even though the bishops thought that a stronger version of Magnus Exorcismus would help there would be absolutely no chance of it being used. There would be no occasion to use it. Besides, the Ultima Magna Exorcisma is far too powerful for us lower priests to use.'

'You priests are _so_ practical,' said Emeth under his breath. Samaroh pretended not to have heard him, but placed his hand on the cover of his book again and closed his eyes. This time the gilded lines on the cover of the book glowed momentarily.

After a minute of muttering he opened his eyes and made the sign of a cross with his finger, light trailing from the tip. When a small cross made of white light was hovering in midair in front of him, he touched the centre of the cross and pushed it down to the pulsing, growing mark. Then he made another one in midair. This time he chanted for quite some time before touching lightly in the centre, where a red dot appeared.

Still holding down the first cross he pushed the other down until it was hovering above the first cross. He swiftly took his hand away and shoved the second cross down onto the first. White light flashed.

When the brightness had cleared away Samaroh groaned and covered his eyes with one hand. Emeth and Iruna could see why. Nothing had happened to it.

'Maybe you should stop and rest,' said Iruna.

'No, thank you. As a human being I should know when to stop. Stopping now, for your information, is equivalent to giving up and I don't, let me make this clear, give up.'

Iruna threw her hands up into the air. 'Whatever.'

The priest flipped through the book again, muttering under his breath until he found the page he was looking for. He scanned it quickly before shutting the book with a resolute snap. He took a deep breath and started muttering.

Whatever he was doing appeared to be something not many priests did, as the other two realised. It was not the muttering, although the words certainly sounded more mysterious. It was the cross that was slowly appearing _behind_ him.

It was a massive cross, a circle ringing its centre. Samaroh continued his incantation as its brightness intensified with every word he said, until it glowed with utmost purity. Even Iruna was gaping at it.

The priest clapped his hands together. From behind him the other two were sure that they had just seen him _absorb_ the cross. The light ran along from his back to his hands until they were encased in bright balls. Samaroh took a deep breath and slammed his hands on the wound.

There was a lot of sound. It was surprising that no one had woken up even after the three of them had left the room. When it was over Samaroh stepped back from the bed and this time sighed in relief. The mark had gone.

Iruna and Emeth felt more relieved too, but the moment was short-lived. The next thing that happened was that Samaroh collapsed onto the floor.

'Samaroh!' Iruna cried out. They rushed over to the priest's side and tried to rouse him. He came round a few seconds later.

'I...appear to have used up...more energy than I thought,' he said weakly, letting Emeth help him to his feet.

'Of course, you ass! You just said exorcism spells use up more energy than healing ones do yourself! Come on, sit down.' Emeth fumbled in the small pouch he carried and brought out something large and purple. He offered it to Samaroh.

The priest gave it a ludicrous stare, as if it had offended him. He looked up at Emeth. 'You're giving me this?'

'Ah. Oops. Sorry. Wrong thing, it's a bit dark.' The wizard stuffed it back into his ouch and fumbled again. This time he brought out a small potion flask and gave it to the priest, who accepted it and sipped it slowly.

'So...it's gone then?' said Emeth, watching Iruna pull the blanket into place and step back to survey the unconscious form of Valkron.

'Well, I'm not _that_ good at exorcising, so to speak,' said Samaroh. 'But given the strength of the spell I just cast I'd say yes. Mind you, I'm not guaranteeing it's completely gone.'

'We'll know, eventually,' said the crusader. She was still looking at the knight. 'I think we should get some sleep. It won't be long till morning but we need it anyway. Let's go.'

* * *

The next morning was so cold that everyone was up even before there was any light. They were informed of the night's events by Iruna and Emeth, who were careful not to mention about what the Blood Judge had said to Valkron.

At the mention of the Blood Judge Samaroh jumped to his feet. 'Are you serious?'

'It's definitely him,' said Emeth. 'You know his name?'

'Argath Iruvedla,' said Samaroh promptly. 'Everything's in this book.'

He showed it to Emeth. The wizard raised an eyebrow in surprise and whistled. 'Woo. Can I have a look at it?'

'Any time.' The priest took aim and skimmed the book between Khan and Nocturne, who were standing in the way.

In a flash a wolf had sprung out of the bushes and caught the book between its jaws. It scampered off quickly, followed by a shouting Samaroh a minute later. The rest stared after them in shock.

He came back some time later, shaking his head. 'That damned wolf just ripped the book to pieces. I can't believe it. It was the last copy, too.'

'Did it happen to be one of the forbidden copies?' said Emeth shrewdly.

Everyone looked at Samaroh. He looked back at them innocently. 'So? What if it was?'

There was silence. Then Emeth went over to him and gave him a good-natured slap on the back, causing him to cough. 'Don't worry, I've got one too. But it's somewhere else...'

His voice trailed away. They looked up to see what he was gazing at.

Valkron was standing before them, dressed and armed.

'Hello, Valkron,' said Emeth, nodding his head nonchalantly.

'Were you talking about the book?' said the knight. Samaroh looked surprised at this sudden statement, but he nodded.

'Then good. I don't want anyone to talk about it anymore. It won't contribute to our mission. Which needs some reforming, by the way. We're going to do this right for once.'

'What are you talking about?' said Eni.

'No questions,' said Valkron. 'Don't question the orders given to you, you don't have the authority. I'm going to take our bearings first.'

He walked out of the inn. Everyone looked at each other.

'Samaroh?' said Emeth.

'Yes?' The priest looked like he was expecting the answer but he didn't say it.

'You didn't cure him.'


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Valkron watched the members of his party take their bearings, desperately trying to follow his military-like manner as well as get things done. Apart from him only Iruna knew how the Chivalry wanted things done.

He felt much better, somehow. There was a burning desire within him to get everything cleared up once and for all. Emeth's spell was still in the sky, shimmering the way to the portal's location, but they had neither a compass nor a map to resolve their problems.

And he didn't know why, but his fingers itched to kill. He had been hardly able to release his sword that morning, only managing to do so by forcing himself to sheathe his sword.

Still, he knew he'd get the chance soon enough. He licked his lips, waiting for the moment when he could feel the warmth of blood splattering everywhere and the smell of iron.

There was just one problem. He kept having this idea that something was fighting him down. It was annoying, like an itchy place on your back that you couldn't reach.

But other than that he felt perfectly fine.

He finally gave up on the party. They seemed to be too stupid to be able to figure out where they had to go next.

'It looks like we've got to stay another night in the city,' he said. 'If no one identifies the place that lies in the northwest we're not going anywhere.'

'We're not going to just sit here and wait!' said Iruna. 'That spell is tearing our world apart the longer we wait!'

'Well, seeing how wretched you are at bearing-taking, I don't think we can do anything until you get the blasted thing done.'

Valkron turned on his heel and promptly entered the inn. Everyone was staring after him with their mouths open.

Aldev was the one who broke the silence. 'Well, looks like he's showing his true colours now,' he said smugly, folding his arms across his chest. 'What did I tell you? There's no knowing when that old knight would finally give up on us.'

Although Samaroh, Nocturne and Emeth were famous for their split-second retorts they were left gaping at this remark. Even more surprising was that it was Amaru who took a step forward and struck the monk across the face with the back of his hand, which must have been quite painful because of the elaborate metal decoration on the back of his glove.

'We've had enough of your whining, your so-called righteousness. Aren't you tired of it yourself?' said the deep-voiced blacksmith. 'You wouldn't like it if we keep going on and on to you about your faults, and then talk about you behind other people's backs. I will _not_ have that here.'

'Since when did you become my judge, Amaru?' said Aldev, rubbing his cheek. Amaru's glove had left a large red mark under his eye. 'I'm sure I have the right to make any comments I like, and I'm sure you know that too.'

'You've got a limit, Aldev,' said the blacksmith. 'Keep that in mind.'

'Oh, so now you're telling me what to do, eh? Let me tell you this - I'm my own boss, I don't need telling for anything. So keep your pointy nose out of my business and go and forge something to keep your hands busy instead of hitting me!'

Khan stepped up at this point. 'Calm down, Amaru. Don't do anything rash here. Aldev, back down now. You don't want to get into any more trouble than you are now.'

'Oh, I'm in trouble now eh? What's with both of you, anyway? I always see that blacksmith tailing you like he's too afraid to wander alone. Or else what are you, married? Some interesting relationship you've got here.'

Amaru made a sound that didn't seem human. Khan caught him by the upper arm and held him back. 'I'm warning you, Aldev. Any more of this and you'll regret it.'

'Regret what?' There was a clinking sound, and Aldev put up his fists. A pair of knuckles gleamed as he crouched, ready to fight.

'Oh, so you're asking for a fight?' growled Amaru, pulling out a sword. It was no ordinary sword either - anyone could see the neatly carved name in the hilt, and they could deduce from the unnatural shine that it had been imbued with an element and most likely the blacksmith's own secret of forging.

Another, much larger sword suddenly swung down between them. They looked up to see Iruna holding it straight out in front of her, the edges of the blade facing both of them.

'Enough,' she said stiffly. Her blindfold was on so she seemed even more imposing than ever. 'Both of you have gone far enough. I don't want to attack both of you but if you force me to do so I will. And you know I have the ability to fight both of you at the same time.'

Aldev straightened up and flicked the side of his nose with his thumb. Amaru withdrew his sword, gazing with narrowed eyes at the monk. They turned away from the two-handed sword. As they headed away from each other Iruna lowered her sword and then sheathed it, still in the same position.

Suddenly Aldev turned back and sped forward, light trailing from behind him as pure energy propelled him towards Amaru. Iruna drew her sword again, but the monk had leapt over her and was already speeding towards the blacksmith. Amaru turned to look back, as if not believing his eyes.

With another burst of energy the monk leapt into the air, somersaulted and kicked out at the blacksmith. Amaru skidded backwards, dodging and ducking every kick and drew his sword. The next hit was blocked by the flat of the blade, which reverberated oddly. Khan spun around and flung his arms out, causing the blades of his katars to unfold.

Aldev landed on his feet and aimed a punch at Amaru. The blacksmith ducked and slid away from the monk. The blade of his sword was glowing.

The monk hit out again, and this time Amaru did not dodge. Sparks flew as metal bit into metal. The blacksmith shoved Aldev's fists aside and swiped at him, leaving a trail of golden light as the blade missed the monk by barely an inch.

The monk shouted, 'Hah!' before slamming his hands together. A soul sphere materialised within seconds. He grabbed it, absorbed it and hit the ground with his palm.

Amaru did not dodge the ground attack either. As the ground erupted into a long row of spikes heading towards him he stood his ground, his blue eyes watching them with furious concentration. The spikes were barely a foot from him when he switched the sword for a massive hammer and struck the ground with it.

The ground reverberated, causing people to stumble. The shockwave itself completely interrupted the row of spikes, crushing them to dust. Aldev snorted at the counterattack in scorn and somersaulted towards the blacksmith. Then he spun in midair and kicked out, but the blacksmith swiped at him with the hammer and the monk nearly lost a foot. He landed some way away from Amaru and watched him warily.

'That's _enough_, both of you!' cried Iruna from the other side. 'Stop it now and forget about fighting! This is not the time!'

'On the contrary it is the right time!' shouted Aldev, and took a running jump. This time however it was Khan who leapt forward. Knuckle met katar blade in a shower of sparks and they strained against each other, trying to force each other down.

They released at the same time. Aldev assumed a stance and gathered energy to him. With a bellow he went for the assassin, hitting at Khan with his open palm incessantly so fast that it was a blur. Khan blocked every blow with the backs of his katars, equally blurred as the monk. Both flew apart and landed some way away from each other.

Khan dashed forward. Halfway through he suddenly went missing. Aldev grinned and hit the air in front of him with two fingers. Blue fire burst into life and circled him in a bright ball, spreading out as it went.

It was Amaru who distracted him. Aldev saw the golden light gather at the blacksmith's hands as Amaru raised his massive hammer. In a split second he was running straight towards Amaru to stave it off, but it was too late. The blacksmith slammed the hammer onto the ground, and the massive shockwave not only knocked the monk off his feet but deafened everybody as well.

Khan appeared behind Aldev and kicked him in the back of the head before leaping off in Amaru's direction. The monk hissed through his teeth and chased after him, but Amaru swung his hammer just then. Aldev would have lost his head if he had not stopped in time.

Khan turned and sprinted forward. When he was right behind the blacksmith he took a great jump, landed on Amaru's shoulder on one soft shoe and then sprang into the air. Aldev saw him coming and turned to run, but the assassin clasped his fists together and brought down not just his knuckles, but the handles of his katars as well onto Aldev's back. The monk staggered under the blow but flung his hand out to stop himself from hitting the ground face first.

His hand touched the ground. There was a sudden burst of light and the three of them flung up their arms to shield their eyes, momentarily blinded. When the light had faded and they were able to look around properly, Nocturne was standing nearby tapping his foot impatiently on the ground.

'That should discourage you,' he said, as they massaged their eyes. 'I buried a landmine trap somewhere around here, too...not too sure if I can remember where I put it.'

Everyone backed off from where the three of them had been fighting immediately. Aldev shot the two of them a look, wiping blood away from a cut near his mouth. 'Bloody gays. Don't even know what's an honourable fight, two ganging up on one.'

'Well, I don't like people attacking you without telling you first or giving a warning,' snapped back Khan, pulling tight one of the strips of linen around his forearm.

'Oh, really? So what kind of assassin are you then? I thought your kind does this sort of thing every day!'

'That's absolutely none of your business, you screwed monk! The Assassins' Guild has its own matters to deal with!'

'Yeah, well, proves both of you _are_ married, you backstabber!'

'Shut that mouth of yours!' snarled Amaru, causing everyone around him to back off at his sudden ferocity. 'One more time, you two-faced monk, and I'm going to turn you into pulp!'

'ENOUGH!' screamed Iruna in rage, slamming her sword down onto the ground. White lightning struck the ground where her sword had hit and left a charred crater. The people around her winced and backed off, for a crusader's wrath was a force to be reckoned with.

They looked at her, Amaru steaming with barely controlled rage and Khan holding him back. Aldev scoffed.

'That's it. Any one of you make a move and I will decapitate you with my shield. I've done it before and I won't hesitate to do it again.' Iruna pointed her sword at them. 'Now get over here and stop bickering like childish idiots. Nocturne, deactivate that trap of yours so no one gets hurt.

'Okay,' said Nocturne hurriedly.

'And if there's anymore of this I will personally give you a boot in the rear out of this party. And you wouldn't want that because not only will you be alone in the forest, you'll be alone in the forest with a really painful arse from receiving the point of my stiletto at cannonball speed. Is that understood?'

'Yes,' said Khan.

'Fine,' said Amaru, turning away.

'Whatever you say,' said Aldev.

Iruna pointed her sword at him. 'And watch your mouth, Aldev. You have limits. They may be arbitrary, annoying and stupid but Odin help you if you go beyond them. You'd better remember that. Got it?'

'Yes,' said the monk sulkily.

'Okay.' She took a deep breath and then continued in a calmer voice. 'Let's get back into the inn, it's getting colder out here. Are you done yet, Nocturne?'

'Almost,' called back the hunter, dismantling a trap covered in earth next to a hole.

'Good.' She turned, her cloak swirling out behind her and strode into the inn without a backward glance. Everyone followed her in, and Aldev came last of all.

Somewhere on the first floor, a curtain twitched.

* * *

The night was rather subdued. Aldev stayed in his room but the rest went out onto the lobby and huddled together for warmth, relying on Emeth's witchfire.

Only Valkron did not come down from his room, other than Aldev. He did not seem bothered about the battle between Aldev, Amaru and Khan, simply waving it off as 'normal conflict between party members'. Iruna, furious at his indifference to the matter, refused to talk to anyone for the rest of the night.

Amaru too stayed away from everybody else, sitting in the darkness. He went to bed early after a while.

So it was only six people who stayed in the lobby, saying nothing except only to wonder aloud about survivors like them. There was not much hope for such a thing but it was better than nothing.

Finally Nocturne, still unnerved by the battle, said, 'Khan, I know you don't like being bothered about this but why _do_ you side Amaru so much?'

There was a change in the atmosphere after he had spoken. Everyone was alert, waiting for Khan's answer.

The assassin sighed. 'I don't know. It's a childhood thing.'

'That's not very clear, Khan,' said Eni a little severely.

Khan looked at their expectant faces and shrugged. 'It had something to do when we were children. Both of us were born and grew up in Morroc, but of course Amaru had different dreams and went off to Alberta to become a merchant.'

'You were with him then?' asked Eni.

'No. That was before I got to know him.'

There was a pause as they thought this out, and then Nocturne said, 'Wait, I don't get it. How did you know he had different dreams before you even knew him?'

'Isn't it obvious?' said Khan irritably. He had pulled down his mask to talk properly. 'Those born in Morroc are always expected to become thieves but he headed off to be a merchant. Think before you ask, Nocturne.'

'So how did you meet him, exactly?' quried Eni. Behind her Emeth listened.

The assassin gave her a look. 'It's a long story.'

'We've got nothing better to do,' she replied, shrugging.

Khan considered this for a moment. Then he took a deep breath.

* * *

The moon shone down on the silent buildings of Morroc, the City of the Frontier. A desolate wind blew across the city, depositing sand on the already sand covered stone buildings around the place and sending bundles of weed rolling in between the alleyways. From time to time a drops would bounce past happily.

In one of the alleyways a thief was standing close to the wall of one of the buildings. He had just heard the sound of footsteps echoing off the walls, and for a thief who was in danger of being expelled from the Thieves' Guild for not fulfilling his quota he was desperate to get some money.

The footsteps got closer and closer. The thief tensed, ready to move when his target passed the mouth of the alleyway. From a soft pouch hanging from his waist he drew out a dagger and waited.

Suddenly there was no sound. A minute later the sound of footsteps began to fade. The thief realised that his potential target had gone down another alleyway. He set forth, his fur lined, soft-soled moccasins making no sound and leaving no imprint on the sand.

He saw a shadow up ahead of him and quickened his pace. It was a rich merchant, by the looks of the figure he was following. There were hints of a fur lined cloak and gloves as well as a bulging money pouch.

The thief ran a little faster. It would be dawn soon, and the day his deadline fell upon. If he did not get the money he would have to plead to the Thieves' Court, but he highly doubted they would allow him another chance. Merchants in Morroc were clever and it was difficult to steal from them. He did not intend to wander far from his home and steal in other cities.

He had an idea. He scaled a low house and ran along the edge, a small figure outlined against the setting moon. Whenever he came to another roof he would leap onto it. Eventually he overtook the merchant and lurked on a roof just ahead of the man.

The merchant was shocked when the thief blocked his way, but he was experienced enough to give the pouch to the boy. The thief did not want to steal more than he should, so after counting out the money quickly he took what he required plus a small amount for guild tax before handing the remainder back to the surprised but grateful merchant.

He pocketed the money, feeling elated. Now he could go home and get some sleep before he could hand in the money to the Thieves' Guild and fulfil his quota.

He was on his way home, thinking nothing but his money, when a shadow quickly passed him by. He was surprised by it, but suspicion overcame surprise and naturally he followed the shadow. In contrast to his silent shoes the figure, which was as short as him, was running quite noisily and apparently sobbing as well.

The thief followed the figure all the way to the nearby oasis. When he saw the figure stop at the edge of the banks he quickly hid behind a nearby palm tree and watched from behind it. The setting moon was now reaching the horizon, so it was quite huge and illuminated the figure.

It was a merchant, most likely the same age as him. As the thief watched the merchant wiped his eyes with his hands and then waded into the lake. Farther and deeper he went, until the water level was up to his chest. He looked at the black water with the great silver moon reflected in it, before plunging himself into the oasis.

Minutes passed. The thief had got the idea that when the merchant finished his bath or whatever it was he was doing he could steal some additional money for his pocket. He readied his dagger and waited.

Suddenly he realised what was really happening.

_The merchant was drowning himself_.

If there was anything that the thief didn't want to see happening, it was to see people dying and him not helping. He ran out and threw down his dagger, quickly undressing before he was down to his pale cardigan and knee-length shorts. He took off his shoes, tucked the money pouch somewhere under the pile of clothes and dived in, leaving barely a ripple.

It was cold and dark underwater. The thief was beginning to doubt that he would reach the merchant in time when he saw the telltale sign of cloth drifting in the water. He swam towards it, lifted his head out of the water and took a deep breath before diving in.

He was right. It was the merchant, limp and pale in the water. Panicking slightly, the thief grabbed him and tried to pull him up, only to find that he couldn't. He swam around and found long tendrils of weed tangled around the merchant's waist. Mentally cursing himself for not bringing his dagger he grabbed at the weeds until they cut his hands, but he didn't care. The weeds finally broke and then with the merchant he swam up to the surface.

He burst out into air, the cold wind hitting his face. After taking gulps of air he swam back, making sure the merchant's head was above water all the time. He dragged the merchant out onto the bank and then shook himself like a dog, spraying water everywhere.

It took some time, but after a bit of what he had learned in survival lessons during his training the thief managed to get the merchant to open his eyes. The boy coughed out water and looked blearily at the thief, who was looking concernedly at him.

'Here, have my jacket,' said the thief, offering the merchant the fur lined jacket. The merchant declined, but the thief persisted and won, eventually. They sat there, shivering in the wind.

As the sun rose the thief pointed at the red sky. 'Isn't it beautiful? Sunrise in Morroc is always nice to look at.'

The merchant looked at him instead. 'Why did you save me?'

The thief opened his mouth to answer - and realised he couldn't answer. The merchant opposite him, soaked to the skin and looking so dejected, filled him with pity. But how could he tell him that?

'I-I don't know,' he finally said. 'I just didn't want you to die. There's so much to see and live for in this world.'

The merchant stared at him. Then to the thief's shock he burst into tears.

'I d-don't have a-anything to live for!' he sobbed. 'My life isn't worth anything!'

The thief put his arm around the merchant's shoulders and tried to comfort him. It was then one of the strongest, most everlasting bonds of friendship in Rune-Midgard was forged.

* * *

There was silence around the witchfire when Khan had finished. For quite a long time.

Then Nocturne spoke up. 'So he never told you why he wanted to die?'

'No, not ever,' said the assassin, shaking his grey-topped head. 'I respect his privacy, you know. If he wants to say I'll gladly listen to him; otherwise I'm not bothering him for the answer.'

'It looks like he's got quite something to him,' mused Eni. 'Is that why he can get really like an animal sometimes?'

'Beats me,' said Khan, shrugging. 'Although I don't think you should say that in his presence, ever. He's a bit...touchy about that.'

'I think we know already,' said Emeth, nodding.

There was a soft clank from the stairs. Everyone turned to look at the staircase, where a very familiar silhouette was standing.

There was silence. Iruna shifted very slightly but she did not say anything. Eni huddled next to her brother, who put a protective arm around her. They gazed as Valkron walked down the stairs and headed towards them.

The knight had felt very unsettled since that evening. Something was stopping his party from doing what they needed to do, but he didn't know what. He had a vague idea that before meeting Argath he used to have much clearer thinking. Now he could hardly think at all. Most of the time he continually drifted off, thinking about killing everything that stood in his way and ending his troubles once and for all. It seemed that his sword was the answer to everything, and he felt foolish for not thinking that before.

He had come down to have a walk in the night. It might clear his head, he thought muzzily as he walked down the stairs. His mind felt loaded and full of things that he hated thinking about, but no matter what he did he couldn't get rid of them.

That was why, by the time he reached the last step, he was absolutely loathing his life and himself. He looked around at the lobby and focused on the little group of six huddled around the white witchfire in the middle of the room.

They posed no threat to him. He did not feel anything about them that he wanted to get rid of. They seemed innocent enough. He crossed the floor, intent on getting out into the fresh air, when he caught sight of Emeth's red hair and halted. There was something he could remember, something that didn't fill him with hatred at himself. Something he had seen a lot of times before...

Ah. He knew now.

The group watched him nervously, trying to shift around to watch him as he walked past without being too conspicuous. Nocturne made sure Eni was hiding behind him and watched Valkron warily, his hunter's reflexes tensing his muscles and causing adrenalin to rush through his veins. Emeth did not move and neither did Iruna. Samaroh and Khan's eyes moved with Valkron, but they did not say anything.

Suddenly the knight whirled around. There was a sliding sound. Eni whimpered as the gleaming point of the notched, famous sword of Valkron aimed itself past her ear at Emeth.

'Rise, you with the hair of flame,' he said quietly.

Emeth did not protest. He stood up and faced Valkron, his face devoid of any expression. Valkron observed him in silence before he said, 'Flaming red hair is a sign of evil.'

Emeth said nothing.

Valkron began walking around to the wizard. 'There are many things in the world that a man should not be. A man should not be left handed. A man should not keep cats. A man should not have flaming red hair. They are symbols of the Dark, symbols of the evil that rests in the hearts of men.'

'I was born with it,' said Emeth calmly.

'Then you are the devil's child!' Valkron's sword swung up like a beast seeking its prey. 'I cannot allow your existence on this world. Let me grant you death so you shall be free from evil's grasp and grip.'

'I prefer the way I am now, thank you very much,' answered Emeth, still in his calm voice.

Valkron's eyes narrowed. Emeth saw the deep green become covered with swirling black clouds.

'You refuse to let me free you? Then you leave me no choice.' There was a pause, and then Valkron suddenly lunged forward, sword raised.

There was movement, and it was Samaroh who threw himself in front of Emeth. Nocturne and Eni winced at the sickening sound of metal tearing through flesh. The priest was thrown aside, but he got to his feet, clutching his bleeding shoulder. Emeth was staring in shock at him.

'Think you can injure a priest?' said Samaroh, eyes flashing. He waved his hand over his wound and the white light returned his blood to him and sealed the wound. Then he straightened up and held out his hand, palm outwards, in front of him.

'Begone, you demon! Possess this man no more! You have no right to reside in his body!'

The blast of light threw Valkron off his feet. He crashed to the floor seconds later, making the floor tremble. Samaroh lowered his arm, shaking with the effort.

'What the _hell_ are you doing, Samaroh?' said Emeth, his calm expression replaced by horror. 'He just made you get the same thing as he has!'

'Better me than you,' replied the priest, grasping his shoulder. 'I'm a priest. There's a big difference between you and me-- eurgh...'

He dropped to his knees, gripping his shoulder. Iruna and Emeth got to his side and supported him. To the horror and shock of everyone present they could see a great black mark swirl across Samaroh's chest. They stared at it before looking up at the sound of metal clanking against the stone floor.

Valkron looked down on them with a mirthless grin stretched across his face, his green and black eyes glinting. 'Those who defend the devil's chosen ones will receive the same punishment as them. I have no mercy for such people, they who profane the light.'

He turned on his heel abruptly and walked back upstairs, leaving everyone mystified and full of dread.

* * *

Next morning - well, if it was morning - they tried to take bearings again. It failed terribly, however, and finally Aldev, tired of the reprimanding Valkron was giving them, spoke up.

'What makes you think you have absolute control over us? Stop telling us what to do, we're old enough to do what we want!'

'You have no authority to question my orders,' said Valkron calmly. 'Stand down or I will be forced to dispatch you into the wilderness alone.'

Emeth stepped forward and interrupted. 'I apologise for intruding, Valkron,' he said briskly, 'but even with us you should give us allowances. No one is perfect. You cannot expect us to learn overnight. I suggest we head off northwest and see what we come across.'

The party fell silent. They could see Emeth was being reasonable, even when Valkron was being so tiring, but would the knight accept the wizard's views?

Valkron turned to Emeth, still very calm. 'Do you intend to take over the leadership? If you do then I must remind you that I am not willing to step down yet, nor will I accept your suggestion. I am the leader and therefore you will not have any say in my decisions. That goes for all for you as well,' he added, casting his gaze over the rest. 'Keep that in mind.'

Emeth frowned. 'Valkron, I know you are the leader. I am simply requesting that you consider my suggestion. There is no need to obey it. You definitely have authority over us as the leader, but even then you should be open to suggestions as well. At least we will be able to communicate.'

Valkron sighed. 'I tire of your endless prattle, you who are the child of the devil. Leave me. I do not wish for your presence here.'

'I am no child of the devil,' said Emeth, but the knight cut him short.

'You are. You who stand here and dare to defy me, you who practise the terrible black magic that plagues the living, you with your knowledge that no man would have acquired in half his lifetime. You gain your powers from the devil. Now leave or I will be forced to kill you.'

'I think you should stop it,' whispered Eni.

'I am simply asking you to consider,' persisted Emeth, ignoring Eni. 'I plead with you, Valkron.'

'That is the final straw!' Everyone jumped out of their skins with Valkron's shout. He drew his sword and attacked Emeth so suddenly that the wizard had to block the sword with his staff. They strained against each other before skidding away. The others backed off.

Valkron charged. Emeth gasped at the force of the sword landing on his staff but he held his ground and threw Valkron off. They stood, watching each other, alert and ready.

The knight pointed the sword at him. Immediately the sword expanded, twisted and grew into a massive black blade not unlike Argath's. Black fire erupted from it and shot out in one long jet at Emeth. The wizard aimed his staff and a stream of ice countered the jet of fire, nullifying it.

Valkron sprinted forward. Emeth somersaulted backwards, narrowly avoiding the sword as it slashed at him. Then as Valkron closed in on him he flicked out a long dagger and slashed quickly at the knight, causing him to back off.

They focused on each other, watching their eyes for their movements. Valkron's eyes darted to one side and then he disappeared, so fast that he was just a blur. Emeth leapt up as the black blade swiped at him, letting it pass under him. He somersaulted in midair and kicked out at Valkron.

The knight dodged the attacks and went for the wizard again, sword upraised. Blades hit each other in a shower of sparks. There was an awful grinding, and they flew apart.

Valkron's sword was glowing a sickly purple. Emeth swore and muttered a hasty spell under his breath. A coat of energy covered him from head to foot, just as the black blade landed heavily on it. Blue specks showered into the air on contact.

Emeth unlocked his dagger and hit out. A cut appeared across Valkron's upper arm. The knight swore and hit out at the wizard, who whirled aside and shot forward.

The wizard suddenly threw himself aside. There was a ripping sound as Valkron's sword tore through his cloak. Emeth swore and ducked quickly.

Valkron kicked the wizard's feet from under him. As the wizard gasped, too shocked to move, the knight positioned himself and raised his sword into the air.

Emeth rolled aside just in time. The blade hit the ground where he had just been. The wizard scrambled to his feet, dagger at the ready, watching Valkron.

Valkron ran forward. Emeth steeled himself and hit out just as Valkron did. There was a deafening clang, and then Emeth's dagger flew across the space they were fighting in and landed on the cobbles ahead of a trail of sparks.

Emeth could feel his wrist stinging with the impact of Valkron's sword. He held his ground. There was no way he could attack Valkron now without casting spells, and casting took time, time which he did not have. It looked like there was no way out of it.

'Hah! The aristocratic wizard now cannot fight!' gloated Aldev from behind Valkron. Emeth felt strong dislike for the monk, but there was no time. Valkron was charging. Emeth did not like to back down. He watched the knight approach him and tried not to think about the pain when the sword hit him.

Valkron was closing in. Six feet...five feet...four...three…two...one…

And then there was a bellow, with the sound of metal ripping through flesh. There was a splatter of blood.

And then everything stopped.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Everyone stared in shock. No one could say anything to what had just happened.

Valkron did not move from where he was. His eyes stayed green with swirling black, wide open and devoid of emotion. Blood ran along the blade of the sword down to the hilt, where it dripped off and was now forming a small puddle next to his feet. The drops regularly went _plick_ in the silence, ringing in everyone's ears.

Emeth's eyes were wide open, so wide you could see the whites around. He seemed to be barely breathing and he was trembling. If anyone had touched him then they would have found out that he had gone cold, so cold that it was unbelievable he was still breathing, but no one wanted to. He was frozen to the spot, and so was Valkron.

Incidentally, so was Aldev.

The monk's hands went up to the blade sunk deep into his abdomen. The wound was not clotting at all; blood spluttered out of it, onto his grey coat in dark congealing patches and dripping onto the ground. The blade had been thrust one foot into him and the tip was protruding out from the other side. Valkron stared over the monk's shoulder, as unmoving as anyone in the group.

Very slowly the knight straightened up and yanked at his sword. With a meaty sound the blade slid out and clanked onto the cobbles. Aldev dropped to his knees, his hands still over his wound, his eyes still wide open in shock. Valkron gazed blankly down at the monk, as emotionless as a totem and somehow instilling more fear into the others than any gore or blood would.

Aldev's lips moved. 'This...isn't...possible...'

Emeth straightened up. He was still barely breathing and he had gone whiter than a sheet in a mixture of shock and relief. Eyes wide open he stared at Valkron and his bloodstained sword.

It was only when the monk collapsed did anyone react. Samaroh ran forward first and got to the man's side. He turned him over, took one professional look and stared at Valkron. No words needed to be said.

The wizard moved to Valkron's side and touched the knight on the shoulder gently. Valkron turned to him stiffly, the black blade's energy swirling gently around him.

Green-black eyes gazed into pure golden irises. Emeth's eyes searched worriedly for any recognisable expression in his friend's face.

'Valkron,' he said, 'I'm here. We all are.'

The impassive face did not change. Emeth tried again.

'Valkron, we'll be by your side. What are you thinking? You can tell me.'

The knight continued to gaze blankly into Emeth's face. The wizard felt panicky but he squashed the feeling down and reached out for the knight's shoulder. He could feel everyone's eyes on him.

Like lightning the knight grabbed his hand, but his ghastly eyes never left the wizard's face. Emeth strained against his grip, trying to get to his friend's shoulder. Several minutes passed, with the tension rising as they watched the silent battle between Emeth and Valkron.

Minutes ticked by. Eni was unconsciously clutching her brother's sleeve, turning it into a multitude of creases. Iruna had taken off her blindfold and her eyes were darting between the two of them. Khan too watched them nervously.

Emeth gritted his teeth, still staring into Valkron's eyes. For the first time in his life he willed his concern and his worry into his eyes. He knew Valkron was reading his expression for hostility, anger...anything that would set him off. But all Emeth wanted his friend to return.

'Valkron,' he said, tears welling up in his eyes, 'come back...to me.'

They watched as one shimmering silver drop fell from the golden eyes and splashed onto the cheek of the knight.

* * *

Eni looked over her shoulder nervously, and then back at the tight cluster of people. 'Are you sure it's fine to approach him?'

'I think he's fine,' said Iruna, looking back anxiously. 'But on the safe side let Emeth approach him instead.'

'I don't know why,' said Nocturne, scratching his head, 'but it seems to me that both of them...make really good friends.'

He got given the look he always got when he spoke truthfully.

'Don't let them hear that,' warned Khan, although the side of his mouth was twitching. 'You're lucky they're both not themselves right now.'

'Yeah, I guess I am,' sighed the hunter, completely not registering the assassin's tone until a few days later.

They turned to watch Emeth stand in front of the knight, who was sitting on an upturned crate and holding his head in his hands. There had been no words spoken between them but it seemed that they shared the closest bond of friendship of all.

'Though I suppose the relationship is temporary,' said Nocturne, blissfully not noticing everyone's looks at him. 'But it when lasts it's good, don't you think?'

'That's a very good way to put it in words,' said Samaroh.

The wizard stared at Valkron unblinkingly and in silence. The knight himself seemed too distracted to notice that everyone was watching him. His sword had gone back to normal and was simply bloodstained, but it was the sight of it that had sent him reeling, by the looks of it.

After quite some time Samaroh detached himself from the group. 'I'd better give the monk a proper burial, I'm not human for nothing...'

He hurried off looking concerned. The others did not even look once at him, because just then Valkron had started speaking.

'Whose blood is this?' he said, his voice trembling. 'Tell me, someone, whose blood have I spilled?'

'Aldev,' said Khan, gently pushing Nocturne aside and stepping forward cautiously.

Valkron did not move. He stared despondently at the cobbles instead, clearly too lost in despair to notice anything else. 'Is he dead?'

'Yes,' answered Khan steadily.

'How did I do it?'

'You ran him through with his sword.'

Valkron stayed silent for a few minutes, and then he whispered, 'I never meant to kill him. He...didn't deserve to die. I just wanted...to stop him...'

Emeth reached out and grabbed the knight's shoulder. 'Valkron,' he said, 'you did nothing wrong. He was annoying us. You were right to kill him.'

'I wasn't. Don't say I was. Please.'

'Valkron, listen to me. Don't listen to the darkness Argath awoke in you. Listen to me. I'm telling you that you did nothing wrong and you don't have to worry. No one will judge you for what you did.'

'I cannot accept. I don't kill without a reason, but I broke the rule--'

Everyone stepped back in shock. Emeth had grabbed the knight so fiercely that Valkron was jerked out of his despair. He lifted his head to stare into the golden eyes, burning with the determination of getting his point across.

'There is no rule. Did you ever sign an agreement saying you would abide by it for all your life? Did you ever take an oath and say that you will not kill for a reason? Is that a yes? If you did then listen to me. You are not the kind to kill without a reason. Therefore you know why you killed Aldev, you just don't remember now. Eventually you will tell us, but for now accept that you did it and move on! Look towards the future and fight for the world! _Get past the I can't!_'

There was a shocked silence so deep a pin would have clanged.

Valkron gazed into the golden eyes. Then he blinked. And much to everyone's relief they saw the swirling black clouds in his eyes fade away, leaving nothing but the deep green they were so used to.

Emeth stepped back, breathing hard. 'And get that into your head!' he spat, so hard Valkron leaned backwards in the force of his words. 'For Odin's sake you are one spineless knight!'

'Well, it was good while it lasted,' said Nocturne in an undertone. Iruna had covered her face with her hand - it was hard to tell if she was laughing or exasperated.

Emeth strode off fuming, leaving Valkron still stunned where he was. Everyone stared after him and then turned their focus back to the knight.

Valkron blinked several times and then passed a hand over his face. 'That was certainly...enlightening.'

No one went back into the inn without a chuckle or two.

* * *

The knight stood in his room staring at the broken mirror. He felt rather different than he had been before he killed Aldev. For one thing the bloody voice in his head and heart had faded into the background, weaker and less murderous than before. He felt less inclined to kill and more inclined to solve the current problem without violence.

_Is this who I am?_ he thought, staring at his reflection. His own green eyes stared back out at him.

It was a strange habit of his, a habit he did not really stick to these days because he was always busy. Whenever he had pressing questions that addressed his goals and his reason for his existence he would go to the mirror and look into it. Somehow all his questions were answered. It was better than talking to someone about it.

He looked worried, in the mirror. But there was a question in his eyes.

_Talk about it to someone, why don't you?_

'They'll think I'm mad,' said Valkron softly. 'Or they'll think I can't take this job anymore. I don't want them to think that way.'

_You always seem more confident of yourself, Valkron._ The reflection raised an eyebrow. _Why don't you BE more confident?_

'I've never been confident,' he whispered. 'Not since that time.'

_It's time to forget "that time", Valkron. It's time to start again. The Raulus will understand that._

Valkron frowned. On the contrary his reflection nodded at him and smiled encouragingly.

_Go on, Valkron. Do what you can do, and we'll see if the others can do anything else. One obstacle has already been removed. Emeth is right - get past the "I can't". Go on._

Valkron took a deep breath and closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down and think properly for once. To his surprise he slid easily into it. _I used to think like this before. It seems so much easier_, he thought, feeling a little better than before.

However he still felt bothered. He shifted restlessly from one foot to the other and then moved away from the broken mirror to the window. The cold wind blowing through the open window did nothing to relieve his nerves. He stood there for a long time, gazing out into the silent, dark buildings of Prontera and thinking of nothing in particular.

Finally he decided some sleep would help. He shut the window and closed the curtains before taking off his armour, rather tiredly. So much had happened and he wasn't too sure if it was day or night now.

He removed his shin armour and was putting the plates away when he remembered something. He looked back at his leg and then pulled up his pants.

For some time Valkron stared at the great swirling mark on his skin. No one could blame him. A lot of things he did not remember during his brief spell of murderous intent had suddenly come back to him, rushing up to his face in a most particularly unpleasant way.

_Argath Iruvedla. Emperor Vedlavin._

The names echoed in his head. He felt as if a veil had been lifted off his eyes and his brain much less unclouded than before. How could he have been so stupid, so blinded by his fears, that he had not made the connection, let alone see it?

That was it. Suddenly he knew everything. He knew where Emeth's spell was pointing to. He knew what was happening. Above all, he didn't like any of it.

So when he strode into the lobby everyone who was there stopped talking. It was either that or risk getting killed. That was what they feared.

'Where's Nocturne? And Samaroh?' demanded Valkron, after glancing over them.

'Nocturne's gone up to his room to get his quiver and Samaroh's burying Aldev,' said Iruna, a few minutes later.

'Oh, yeah...' Valkron winced slightly at the memory, but he would not allow it to stop him. 'Eni, could you get your brother down? Now? Are all of you ready to go?'

'Go where?' said Khan.

Valkron stole a sideways look at Emeth. The wizard was unnaturally silent, leaning against the mantelpiece with his head bowed so that his thick red hair fell over his eyes and obscured any expression whatsoever if he had any on his face.

'I know where we need to go,' he said quietly. 'I understand. We've got just one errand to do before we set off for the portal, and it actually just concerns me.'

'Suddenly you seem so sure about what you're doing,' said Iruna, as Eni hurried off to get her brother and the door banged open to let in a draught of cold air and Samaroh dusting his robes. 'Is it me or is it you?'

'More me than you, don't worry...' Valkron's voice trailed off. He certainly did not remember anyone out with him on the night he met Argath, but the sight of the same great mark across Samaroh's chest caused him to realise he had done something else other than kill Aldev.

The priest looked up at him in the sudden silence. 'What?' he said.

'What did I do to you, Samaroh?'

'You'd like to know?'

'No, but I'd like to get it over with.'

The priest's eyes narrowed. 'You injured me with your sword.'

'Oh.' Valkron lowered his eyes. This was not going well.

In the uncomfortable silence Iruna said, 'Well, talking about it won't help. What's past is past. Valkron, we're not blaming you for anything, so don't suppress it--'

'No. No, Iruna, you're wrong. I'm not suppressing it, I'm...accepting it.' Valkron looked up at Samaroh. 'If you like you can hit me in return.'

Even Nocturne and Eni, coming down the staircase, paused and stared from over the banister. All eyes focused on Valkron, who showed no sign of any regret whatsoever of saying it. Samaroh was the one who stared at him the longest.

In one swift movement the priest struck the knight across the face with the heavy tome he usually carried - and read - and everyone winced. Valkron did not object.

'You needed that blessing,' said Samaroh, a corner of his mouth twitching. 'Thank you for admitting it.'

'You're welcome,' said Valkron, rubbing his cheek absently, where a red mark was already appearing. 'Thank _you_ for hitting me, I deserved that. Is there...anything I could help you with it?'

'If you've still got yours then there isn't much you can do, can you?' said Samaroh, shrugging. 'It'll go in time. All wounds do.'

Valkron looked around at the part-- _his_ party. He felt much stronger now. The smarting pain from his cheek was making him feel more awake than before.

'We are moving out,' he said. 'And we're heading for a little place I know, but I'm going to be the only one to deal with whatever's there.'

* * *

In Payon the ten Chivalry soldiers had received bad news. The other Chivalry groups had either been killed, or had disappeared without trace. Consequently there were few survivors now.

'But the people in Juno are safe?' said Devar, scratching his stubbly chin as he looked at the panting runner who had brought them the news.

'Yes,' replied the runner. 'After the people were seen to the soldiers went out to see if there were any more survivors...and never came back. But the sages in Juno have sworn to protect the people until the order in this world is restored again.'

'Since when did you become so poetic, Sagna?' asked Redova, frowning as he leaned on a nearby tree trunk. 'I thought you were one of the happy-go-lucky novices in the Odyssey.'

'I was _not_,' retorted the young knight indignantly. 'Whoever told you that?'

'Now, now, calm down,' said Anox coolly. 'Nothing gets solved by arguing. Sagna, who sent you?'

'I was assigned to the Al de Baran batch, but when we were herding the evacuees into the city everyone else just...disappeared.' Sagna looked worried.

'And you weren't responsible for it? How can we trust you?'

'Devar, let's not be so strict on him,' interrupted Kanya. 'Let's just talk over this, senior knights only. How's that sound?'

Sagna watched the senior knights gather together and begin discussing, He sighed and sat down on a nearby upturned pail. All he could do now was wait.

Someone stepped up to him. He looked up into the unblinking eyes of Edell.

'Hello, Sagna,' said the young crusader. 'Remember me?'

'Like I'd ever forget you,' said Sagna.

Edell seemed satisfied with that. He knelt down beside the knight and relaxed. Sagna's thoughts drifted away from Edell and concentrated on other things. Especially the Raulus party.

He felt worried for Valkron. There had been many things he had particularly disliked about the commander, since Valkron had been his tutor before he went off on leave for a couple of years. That was why he was surprised he felt worried for his superior.

'I wonder what Valkron's doing now,' said Edell, just at that moment.

Sagna gave him a ludicrous stare. 'What are you talking about?'

'He was with us in Payon,' answered the crusader. 'And he helped solve a...problem of mine, too. I'm really grateful towards him for that, but I'm hoping that he survives all this so that I can thank him properly.'

'If we can't survive that,' Sagna pointed up to the massive spell in the sky, 'I don't think anyone will.'

'He's not the type to give up or die that easily.'

The way Edell had spoken - quietly and confidently - made Sagna unsure of what he was thinking. 'How would you know? We're human. In a sense we're pretty weak.'

'But do you know why our race is admired, Sagna?' said Edell, almost dreamily. 'It's because we stand up for each other and pledge our lives to do anything we can for our people and our world.'

'You a Valkronist or something?' said Sagna suspiciously. 'He's the only one who's ever said this kind of thing. With so many beliefs these days he could probably start his own called Valkronism.'

'No I'm not,' said Edell, giving Sagna a look. 'But I can see why Valkron believes in those things. In a way he's looking at life from a realistic point of view and yet he's making it easier for us younger soldiers to understand what he sees.'

'Okay, I'm convinced you're a Valkronist now,' said Sagna, but he was starting to feel that Edell was right.

'That's nice of you,' retorted the crusader. 'I explain what Valkron's tried to get across to us and you go and say it's got nothing to do with you. You haven't changed a bit, Sagna.'

The knight watched the crusader leave and settled back down, feeling definitely uneasy. This was not something he could sit with.

As he mulled over his options the others returned.

'We think, Sagna,' said Kanya, 'that we need to locate Valkron and keep track of him. He's pretty much the only person who knows this kind of thing _and_ has lived to tell the tale. Do you know where he is now?'

'No,' said Sagna, troubled.

Devar closed his eyes. Redova hastily said, 'Do you have any idea of where Valkron would be at this moment?'

Sagna thought about this. The last time he had met them was before the world was thrown into such disorder. Valkron would probably not know where to go before, no matter how battle-hardened he was-- wait a minute.

He said, a little slowly, 'I think I have an idea.'

The nine soldiers watched him. Edell, not far off, had stopped in his tracks.

'He was looking for a likely cause of the portal when I left him,' said Sagna. 'I bet he went to Juno and researched. Then he...you said he went to Payon with you?'

'Yes. From Prontera.'

'Did he say anything about something he had to do?'

'No, it was more like he told us there was something we had to do,' said Devar.

'What was it?'

'Something about the portal and--'

'Yes, I know that. I meant anything else.'

'He was talking about Geffen,' said Anox. 'About the Ten Guilds raid.'

'Don't talk to me about that, please,' said Sagna, wincing. 'I lost my entire guild that night, including my friends Faran and Estelle. I don't need reminding. But did anyone accept what he was saying?'

The nine soldiers exchanged glances. 'No one did...until now,' said Kanya.

'That's it then,' said the young knight. 'He'll be wanting to deal with it himself. But I have absolutely no idea how he'd do it--'

'Pardon me,' said Edell from behind, 'but does that light in the sky tell you anything?'

The others looked up. Far above them was a bright line of light stretching across the dark skies and standing out from the darkness. It was blue and red. Even though it was fading anyone could see it quite well.

'It's heading northwest,' said Kanya, eventually.

'That must have been a wizard's-- Emeth! He was with Valkron!' Sagna punched his hand. 'He divined the direction of the portal!'

'But what lies northwest of here?' said Devar. They looked at each other.

They knew. In a split second they were scrambling over one another to get to their things. It was only when Redova bellowed, 'STOP!' that they halted in the middle of whatever they were doing.

'Why are you all jumping to the conclusion that they would need help?' said the knight, glaring at everyone. 'And even if Valkron is already headed for that direction we can't all go! We need people around in Payon!'

'Well, they would,' said Kanya nervously. 'Even if we wouldn't like to go there we don't have a choice, do we? It's our duty to help fellow knights.'

'It's also our duty to keep the people safe,' said Redova flatly. 'That argument isn't going to shake me, Kanya.'

'I'll go,' said Sagna, stepping forward. 'I don't have anything to do. Al de Baran is safe now, properly secured with all the right procedures. I'll go.'

Redova's face stayed blank for a few minutes, and then he said, 'Would anyone _else_ choose to go?'

There was a pause, and then Edell said quietly, 'I'll go with him.'

Immediately there was a hubbub of noise. Kanya shook her head, saying, 'You're my student, Edell, and I don't give you permission to go on such a dangerous mission.' Devar huffed, rolling his eyes, and commented on the hot blood of youngsters these days.

Slowly the noise died away. One by one they looked at Anox, who was patiently tapping his foot.

'I think it's a good idea,' he said slowly. 'These two young soldiers will ride out towards the northwest and bring a couple of falcons with them. This is how we communicate, and eventually we, as senior knights, can pinpoint Valkron's exact location and bearings. A balance of duties. They are keen to go. Who's to stop them? Edell won't be your student any longer soon enough, Kanya. And I'm sure the Odyssey left a few lessons on you, am I right, Sagna?'

'You could say that.'

'Then it's all settled then.' Anox raised his voice. 'Any objections? Or other plans? They're all welcome.'

The silence was enough. The older crusader nodded to them and they went to get their pecos from the makeshift stables the residents had hastily built for them. The ten soldiers had brought with them two falcons in case of any communication between groups, and these two they gave to the mounted riders, along with enough victuals to last them, their mounts and the falcons for several days.

'Make haste, the two of you,' said Anox, as they turned their pecos to face the gates of Payon. 'We need to know where Valkron is as soon as possible.'

'Yes, sir!' said Sagna and Edell, saluting together.

Anox leaned forward and spoke so quietly the two of them had to lean nearer to him to hear what he was saying. 'And here's your chance to prove yourselves that you are true Chivalry knights. Don't let the world down, and not Valkron either. Prove that you are worth your knighthood.'

Sagna looked at Anox and realised that the crusader did worry about Valkron as well, but believed in letting them make their names. Edell looked at Anox and realised the crusader was a lot cleverer than he looked.

'May Tyr bless you, and Odin's spear spell victory for you,' said Anox, nodding at them. 'Good luck.'

* * *

'So where are we heading off to?' asked Eni, as they left the inn. 'You said we-- you had a little errand to do.'

'That's right,' said Valkron, walking over to his peco and stroking it. It honked quietly and nuzzled him with its' colourful beak. 'But I need you all to be around. If I don't I probably might not survive.'

'That's very...frank of you to say that, Valkron,'said Iruna carefully, as she went over to her peco and stroked it gently.

'Thanks, Iruna,' answered the knight absently. He mounted his peco and loosened the reins. 'Well, we'll get going first. I know exactly what I want and not even Argath is going to stop me this time.'

Everyone shared looks. Although they knew Valkron had recovered they weren't too sure if this was the knight who had snapped and ordered them around at the beginning of their treacherous search.

Valkron looked at them. 'Feeling a bit mystified about me?' he said, grinning. 'Not to worry. I'm fine. Maybe I'll need to get rid of the damned mark on my leg and try to help Samaroh get rid of his, and then--'

'You're doing it again,' said Nocturne.

Valkron raised an eyebrow. 'Doing what? I just said I wanted to help--'

'I'm not too sure if you're the Valkron we know because you're doing it over and over again,' said the hunter.

The knight stared at Nocturne for some time before he said, 'Explain, please.'

'He means to say suddenly you care for us,' said Eni. 'The last time you were all fight-for-yourselves-I've-got-better-things-to-do-than-protect-you. Now you're so kind to us. Did you foresee that we're all going to die or something?'

They stared when Valkron laughed. 'No, I didn't. I just realised that all along it was _me_ being the idiot. I hide everything from anyone else and I don't practise what I preach. This time we're going to work together on this, and no buts from any of you. If we don't work together we're all going to die.'

'That was pretty clear from the start,' said Khan, but he sounded as if he was grinning. 'So, Valkron - what's this "errand" you have to do?'

'If I tell you now you'll say I'm whacked in the head.' Valkron turned his peco around to face the western gates of Prontera - the sealed gates.

'We're quite used to your so-called "whackedness", so you might just tell us anyway,' said Samaroh.

Valkron kept quiet for a moment. Then he looked over his shoulder at their questioning, upturned faces.

'I'm still not too sure if you need to know,' he said at length, 'but I _do_ know that if I need to fight back I'll have to get a piece of equipment a lot of people wouldn't dare to use. It'll be risky but it's a risk I'll be willing to take. It's also quite dangerous, to be truthful, and seriously I'm going to be involved in it so you all should keep out of it. This is a genuine warning.'

'We know,' said Eni. 'You've never lied to us before.'

'Although you can be a bit weird we can trust you,' said Nocturne, oblivious to the look Khan was giving him.

Iruna sighed. 'I don't know what you're up to this time, Valkron, but you'd better make it safe. Tell us what you're going to do, if not where we're headed for.'

Valkron turned back to face the western gates. 'Emeth?'

'Yes?' said the wizard.

'You win.'

Emeth shrugged. 'Up to you to think of it that way, I guess.'

'Thanks.' Valkron looked back at him and grinned. 'Could you unseal the gates?'

As the wizard went forward resignedly the crusader remarked, 'You still haven't told us what you're going to do, Valkron. You can't avoid the question forever.'

Valkron smiled grimly. 'I need a crescent scythe.'


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The ruined city was in silence. The creatures that prowled its bowels were unnaturally quiet, moving as if not to disturb something particularly dangerous slumbering deep within the cavernous underground. All there was, was the cold wind that whistled and howled through the empty buildings.

And they had a reason to. For they could feel, emanating from the depths of the city, a palpable aura of rage that promised the world a bloody end.

In the privacy of his dark cavern Argath lifted his head slightly and brought his clenched fist up. He stared at the black glove for several seconds before opening his fist.

In his palm lay a small dot of purple light, shimmering with its own halo. He gazed at it, his deep red eyes glimmering in the light of it.

After a minute or so he clenched his fist again. A grim smile stretched across his face as drops of blood fell from his hair and landed on his fist.

'I see,' he said, blood running down his face. 'My own weapons turned against me...very clever. But humans can only be so shrewd before they give in to their own emotions - and the battle will not end until they are wiped off from the surface of this world completely. I will see to that.'

He turned on his heel and looked up. 'Don't you think so, honourable one? The preparations for the inauguration are almost done. Now we must get our potential candidate ready for the ceremony, and he _must_ be ready to take the throne when the time comes.'

There was a sound. It was not a particularly pleasant sound. It sounded like a thin, malicious voice speaking in an utterly unknown tongue.

Argath closed his eyes, his smile widening. 'It is so unfortunate that you cannot return to this world, diminished into such a pitiful form. But do not worry, for when he comes you will be able to return and this world will be yours again.'

'And this time the darkness will reign over it forever.'

Argath's laugh echoed through the silent caverns.

* * *

Eni shivered and pulled her thick woollen blanket closer around her. She had borrowed it from Amaru, who kept several in his cart and was now doing the same with another one.

Everyone stared despondently into the blue witchfire that blazed in front of them. They did not talk, primarily because there was nothing to talk about, and besides it was far too cold. No ordinary fire could burn on the thickly fallen snow.

Valkron sat with his back to a tree, paring slices off his usual piece of herb with his dagger and chewing on them slowly and deliberately. Emeth sat next to him, his cloak wrapped around him. As far as anyone could tell he was fast asleep.

Around them the wind whistled through the barren trees and howled in the distance. During their short time in Prontera the world had been stripped of its greenery and had it replaced by the cruel, cold whiteness of a dark winter. No one could tell if it was day or night, for neither sun nor moon shone. The only thing that did give off its own light was the horrible magic circle that floated in the sky, glowing brighter and brighter as the world progressively plunged into what promised to be an everlasting darkness.

Valkron absently stirred the snow next to him with a finger. He was worried for the party - worried that they would not be able to withstand the freezing cold. Their provisions, kindly provided by the blacksmith, were beginning to run out and he feared that it would be soon when they had to give up. He could not allow that to happen before they found the portal.

Still, he was taking a wild guess about what lay to the northwest of Prontera. There were many undiscovered lands that lay beyond the borders of the kingdom and the portal could be in any of them. Valkron had no wish to venture beyond the kingdom of Rune-Midgard. He did not want to know what waited out there.

But what choice did they have, as long as they solved the problem?

Valkron felt someone touch him gently on the arm. He turned his head slightly and looked sideways at Iruna.

'You seem worried,' she said softly, her brown eyes blinking at him.

'Who wouldn't be?' he replied. 'I didn't take into account this blasted winter.'

Iruna shook her head. 'We'll deal with this, somehow. You should get some sleep, you haven't been resting at all. Emeth looks almost comfortable.'

Valkron looked at the wizard, who was sitting cross-legged and his head down. 'He's going to have an awful neckache when he wakes up.'

'Well, at least he's pretty much getting what he needs at the moment.' Iruna turned her gaze back to him. 'You should be, too.'

Valkron looked at her again. He didn't want to be told what to do, but he had no idea what else he could do at this time.

'All right,' he said eventually, mist forming in front of his face as he spoke. 'I'll try to get some sleep.'

Iruna drew away to join Samaroh and Nocturne, who were arguing quietly, leaving the knight to make himself comfortable against his tree. He gazed into the heart of the flickering blue fire and thought about how they were going to survive.

He was awoken by Emeth some hours later,as they got up from their place and got ready to go. Valkron did not complain but he was somewhat sleepy as he fed his peco and mounted it.

They trudged through the snow for some time. Only Iruna and Valkron had mounts, and therefore the rest of the party got sick of being wet and tired, so the two of them allowed the rest to ride behind them on an hourly basis. The members of the party welcomed the rest gratefully.

Valkron, still feeling sleepy, followed Iruna closely. He had no intention of leading while he was still trying not to nod off. He had given her instructions to head northwest until he knew where they were in order for them to change direction so that he could do whatever he wanted.

His mind strayed as he rode until he was unaware that the others were switching between themselves behind him. The crescent scythe he needed was necessary. Although his trusty old nameless sword had helped him survive many battles it was time he had to get it. This battle would need more than the blade of a sword to turn it to their advantage.

At this point he was glad he had a party behind him. He had certainly felt better whenever he was around them, especially Emeth - which mystified him, since he was sure the wizard hated him to his guts, counting how many times he had been yelled at by Emeth. Valkron sighed in exasperation at himself for this. Trust himself to get things wrong.

He looked up at the heavy skies. Somehow the greyness swirling above them mirrored his mood. Mist shot into the air as he exhaled sharply and turned away from its gloomy sight.

They rode on in silence for some time, and then finally stopped to rest. Valkron dismounted from his peco and gave it some food, although much less than he had before.

Iruna noticed. 'Are you trying to starve your bird, Valkron? It's got weight to carry, you know.'

'I know,' said Valkron, watching his peco gulp down the food. 'But he knows too. Does the Battle of Al'Zahur ring a bell?'

Most of the party stared at Valkron, including Emeth.

'I was employed to the reinforcements during that war, but I never knew what was going on,' said Samaroh. 'No one ever told me anything.'

'It was when the Turtle General decided to hook up with Phreeoni and charge on Morroc.' The knight caught sight of his party's expressions. 'Just using mercenary terms, I can see Eni looking puzzled. The Chivalry and the Order of Juno were charged with the responsibility of defending Morroc as part of the Vassals Act King Tristan agreed to.'

'So what does that have to do with your peco?' enquired Eni.

'I was with a skirmishing group and we got lost in the desert,' said the knight, stroking his peco. 'There were twenty of us, with twenty pecos. When we were rescued there were two left.'

No one said anything.

'I didn't allow anyone to approach mine, and I rationed his food. He lost twenty kilograms and was close to starvation...well, so was I. I don't know how many times we've starved and recovered together, but he's used to it now.'

'You seem to be very cruel to animals,' said Khan.

'Oh really? When I'm giving myself the same treatment?' Valkron shook his head. 'When you're in a situation like min, Khan...you don't have a choice. It's just that I had a choice before the battle. My peco didn't.'

'You're very...considerate,' said Iruna carefully, after a few minutes.

'No, it's just military life.' The bird sat down and Valkron flumped down next to it, leaning on its feathery body. 'You don't know how it feels like, you've never been in the military division before. Except for Iruna.'

'How did you know I was in the military before?' said the crusader in surprise.

Valkron pointed. 'The cross around your neck. You get it when you join the Order of Juno.'

Iruna's hand grabbed the cross almost immediately as her face turned red. She backed off from him.

Valkron turned away from them. Somehow the more he talked to them the more he seemed to want to stir up conflict. He did not want this to happen. They had seen enough.

Eventually his sleepy brain shut down and he fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

'Can't catch me! Nyeh, nyeh!'

A swordsman ran through the courtyard, laughing mockingly as a smaller built boy tried to catch up with him.

'You can't even run properly!' the swordsman laughed at him as the boy stumbled over the loose stones. 'Titch! Son of a knight can't run! Wait till I tell the rest about this!'

The little boy came jerkily to a stop and watched the bigger boy run off, panting heavily, and brushed his fringe out of his eyes. He'd never be a proper swordsman at this rate. Of course, he was one now, but he'd never make it to what his father would have wanted him to be.

He turned away and made his way back down to the tree in the middle of the courtyard of the Swordsman Academy. Once there he sat down in the shade and rested.

He did not feel hurt in any particular way towards the bigger boy. Somehow he knew it was his own fault that he was that way. The only person he could blame was himself, then, with his own reasoning.

But how could he improve? He looked up into the green leaves of the tree above him, which shook in the passing breeze. They seemed so cooling as they made shapes above him...

He stared. Somehow he could see the shapes they were showing him, but then when he looked again they may be something different from another point of view. He wondered at this.

A voice from across the courtyard caught his attention. He turned his head half-heartedly, reluctant to shift from the stream of thoughts in his mind.

'...it should be time to send the swordsmen out into the forests to do their survival and fighting training on their own,' said one of the two figures passing by. 'I wonder whether they'll be ready for it.'

'They should, if they want to be true swordsmen,' said the other figure. 'It's a necessary procedure.'

'But I'm not sure if _he_ is ready to take it,' said the other figure, and they looked at the little boy.

At this rage surged through him but he kept it down. He refocused back on the leaves, gazing unseeingly at them as a barrage of heated words began arguing in his mind.

The greenness of the leaves gradually cooled his temper down. The boy soon found himself enjoying the gentle waving motion of the leaves above him and relaxed. He smiled dreamily as they waved and swayed in the breeze.

And, in the silence, a calm voice said in his head, _The leaves show things and lets us interpret them the way we want to. How do you interpret the training?_

The boy thought about this, and then said quietly, 'I want to train so that I can prove I am a true swordsman.'

* * *

Valkron felt himself being shaken. He opened his eyes crossly. 'What is it?'

'We've decided to go on,' said Emeth, bending over him.

'I thought I was the leader here?' said the knight, getting to his feet and brushing snow off himself.

'Yes, but to be frank we've got about two weeks left till that spell up there,' Emeth pointed up to the sky, 'rips our world apart. We don't have a choice, do we?'

Valkron wished he wasn't right. The lack of sleep was making him feel like he had low levels of blood sugar. He squashed down his feelings of rage and kept silent as he mounted his peco. _Let sleeping dogs lie where they are_, he thought in the privacy of his own head.

As his peco walked his felt the cold touch of snow on his head. All around them snow was falling softly.

Valkron looked up at the sky and snorted softly before riding on defiantly.

* * *

There was a flash of light as the blade twisted, before it sliced cleanly through the straw. The target thumped to the ground as the boy straightened.

There were certainly some differences to him now. He looked stronger and taller, and his face looked harder and fiercer. The only thing that stood out from him was his green eyes - they were soft and gentle.

He looked around at the other targets and ran his hand along the flat of his blade. His feet had not moved from its position.

A voice floated through the trees. 'And there he is!'

The boy looked up, his eyes automatically narrowing. The voice did not bode well for him, but he didn't like running.

Three swordsmen emerged from the bushes. They were wearing identical grins and their eyes glittered with the sight of seeing the boy on his own.

'Training in secret, eh?' said the biggest of them, nudging his friend. 'That isn't so popular these days anymore.'

His friends laughed. The boy sighed. 'We were told to practise every minute so to keep ourselves alert.'

'But I don't have to! That means I'm good enough so I don't need to practise any longer, hey?'

The boy did not reply. He hooked his sword over his shoulder and turned to walk away. Immediately they were around him, standing taller and looking down their noses at him. This would have been impressive if the boy had been short, but he was not so anymore and they were forced to tip their heads up to look down at him.

For a second a grin stretched across the boy's face, and then he was gone in a blur. The only thing they remembered was the hilt of a sword landing on their stomachs, and then they were curled up on the ground, groaning as the boy stood over them.

He sighed and sheathed his sword. Then he turned away and walked off, shaking his head at the idiocy of people around him.

* * *

Valkron woke up with a faceful of feathers. He straightened up in his seat and turned to see everyone staring at him.

'What?' he said.

'I think you seriously need some sleep,' said Iruna, putting a hand on his shoulder. 'You keep nodding off--'

'No, I think I got enough with this one,' said the knight, brushing her hand away. 'Let's go on. Like Emeth said, we don't have time.'

He got given looks he recognised ranging from 'He's mad, all right' to 'Are you okay?' Instead of responding to them like he usually did he turned away and sighed. 'Better me than the world.'

As they rode Valkron sank deep in thought. It was odd. Somehow when he was least expecting it he would fall asleep and be completely dead to the world.

_What?_

Valkron tried to squash down the calm voice in his mind. He disliked it. Although it helped him out of situations it also had a bad habit of turning up when he didn't want it to and analyse the situation for him. It was good for him in the long run but in the short run he hated it.

However it wouldn't give up. He fought with it and then gave up as it adamantly stayed in his head. So he chose to ignore it and continued to think, which was not as easy as it looked.

_You said dead to the world, Valkron._

The knight sighed and rubbed his head. Maybe he needed some peace with himself in time...but he had to solve the stupid problem first.

_Stupid? This isn't a stupid problem._

Valkron shook his head vigorously to clear his ears of the voice and sank into thought again. This party was becoming a burden to him. Maybe he would have to--

_Did you just think that?_

At this point he stopped completely. Not just stopped thinking, but stopped his peco.

Iruna heard the thudding footsteps of the peco behind her come to a stop. She reined her peco around and pulled down her blindfold. Valkron was staring straight ahead.

'What's wrong, Valkron?' she said, riding up to him. 'You look pale. Are you cold?'

There was no response. Iruna tried again. She was not the kind to give up easily.

'Valkron, maybe you need a rest. Come on, get off your peco and we'll get Emeth to start a fire.'

No reply.

The crusader looked into Valkron's face. His eyes were glazed over, but they were so wide she could see the whites all around.

Samaroh and Emeth came over just then. 'Need some help, Iruna?' said the priest. 'I'll just give him a whack over the head, shall I? Or should Emeth deal with him?'

'No. No, there's no need for that,' said Iruna, putting out a hand just in case. 'I think he's...thinking.'

'What? This isn't the time to be thinking in the middle of the snow!' said Emeth. 'Eni's freezing at the back! We don't have much time and we rely on him to tell us where he's going!'

Iruna turned back to the knight and reached out to touch his cheek. The tips of her fingers came into contact with his flesh, very lightly.

'We're not the only ones who are cold,' she said. 'But...Valkron's coldness isn't the coldness of a human. It's more like the coldness of a corpse.'

* * *

Valkron stared. He stared for a very long time.

'What?' said the person in front of him. 'Never knew you had someone like me in your mind before?'

'I used to think I was schizophrenic,' said the knight, 'but I never expected this.'

'Oh, haha.' The knight in front of him took a few steps forward. 'Ever wondered where all your sarcasm came from?'

Valkron looked up into the green eyes of the perfect copy of himself.

The two knights faced each other for some time. The copy was blinking calmly and looked completely at peace.

'Odd,' he said, finally. 'I'm looking into the eyes of the person who wants to be me.'

Valkron blinked. 'I...want to be you?'

'Certainly,' said the knight. 'Your eyes tell me everything. They say quite a lot about yourself, really. All anyone has to do if they want to find out about you is look into your eyes.'

Valkron frowned. 'But why would I want to be you?'

'Well, you've always wanted peace. You've always wanted to stay calm in any situation and assess things quickly and calmly. I do that, for you.' The knight shrugged. 'Not surprising, really, considering how much you talk to yourself in your head.'

Valkron coloured. 'It's called thinking.'

'Hah, thinking?' The knight shook his head. 'If you want to be what you want to be, the only thing I can tell you is that you should admit your feelings for others. You keep telling yourself that you hate Emeth and that it's not worth it to stay near Iruna, but is it really the truth? Nocturne can deal with it so much better than you do.'

'What - What are you talking about?' said Valkron, sincerely puzzled.

'You're a lonely, sad guy.' The knight sighed. 'You know that? Go figure that out yourself. Now, there's something else I want to talk to you about. No, don't interrupt, I don't care what you have to say. You yourself knew that you were falling asleep and completely dead to the world, right? Who wants you dead?'

Valkron opened his mouth. Valkron shut his mouth.

'You consider this problem stupid. Really? Was that you or was that someone else? And your party is a burden, is it? Who is in your mind?'

Valkron stared.

The knight shrugged. 'Up to you. If you don't _think_ about this fully you're never going to get anywhere. And remember - the mark of the Blood Judge is still on you.'

The words stayed long after he had turned and walked off into the darkness. Valkron was left standing in his own mind as he came to realise that there was someone else - other than himself - in his mind.

* * *

The white world of snow returned after a while. Valkron realised that someone had piled a lot of blankets on him, and there was a witchfire burning quite hotly near him. This was clearly a fire hazard, but given the situation Valkron didn't voice this out loud.

He sat up slowly so as not to let the blankets slide off him and catch fire, and met everyone's eyes staring at him.

After a few minutes of silence he said, 'What happened?'

'You...blanked out,' said Iruna. 'I think it was too cold.'

Valkron shrugged. 'I didn't feel cold.'

'That's a fool's saying,' said Samaroh. 'You could have suffered from hypothermia if we hadn't covered you and kept you dry.'

'Eni needs them more than I do,' said the knight. 'Nocturne, help your sister. She looks like she's going blue.'

No one moved. Valkron raised an eyebrow and got up, picking a few blankets with him. He walked over to the shivering alchemist and offered them to her. She took them without a word.

'Why do you all keep staring at me?' he said. 'What went wrong?'

'You were cold,' said Iruna.

'Other than that.'

'You blanked out and stopped completely,' said Emeth. 'Like you...fell asleep again. Which was scary.'

_You keep telling yourself you hate Emeth._

Valkron turned to him. 'I...wasn't conscious of it,' he explained. 'Maybe I _was_ sleepy then. I feel better now, though.'

Something stirred in his breast. With quite some effort he squashed it down. He knew what it was.

'Really?' said Khan, giving him a look.

'Yes, really,' said Valkron.

'God, you're such a loser,' said Samaroh sourly. 'Why can't you bloody admit you're ill? I checked just now and you weren't just cold and out, you were slowing down completely! Not cold my foot. You're just trying to look big and strong and that's it.'

Valkron felt annoyance rise, but it was not him. He fought it down, focusing on the priest. 'You seem very sure of it.'

'Well, of course,' said the priest. 'Anyone could see that. You've always been pretending and everything but even a child could spot it from a distance. What kind of knight are you?'

Valkron shook his head. There was a buzzing in his ears. He tried to blank it out. 'Samaroh, I don't know what you have against me but I can assure you I'm perfectly fine. You're a good healer but you don't need to...push it.'

The words had dropped off the tip of his tongue. He stared in horror at himself. he would have never said that to a priest.

Samaroh got off the tree he was leaning on. He had not been looking at Valkron the whole time he had been talking...until now. Valkron looked into grass green eyes that glittered with a maliciousness that seemed somewhat familiar.

'Push it?' he sneered. 'Who's pushing it now?'

Valkron backed off. 'Samaroh, you know I didn't mean that--'

'You always mean what you say, don't you? Why suddenly so fickle? Why keep denying? You'll never be able to run from yourself!' said the priest, his voice dripping with poison. 'Now I'm in league with a liar, a fraud! Am I pushing it now?'

'Samaroh, please--'

'Please? Please ain't going to do anything to appease me!'

'Stop it, Samaroh,' said Iruna. 'You don't have the right to--'

The priest whirled around and struck Iruna across the face with his book so hard she was sent sprawling onto the snow. Valkron started, but the priest turned on him almost immediately.

'So concerned for others?' he sneered. 'Or just trying to gain benefit for yourself?'

Emeth had reached Iruna's side and was helping her to her feet. She was still in shock. Valkron could see her wide open eyes.

Samaroh stepped in front of his view. Valkron jerked back in shock and stared into the priest's eyes. The grass green had black clouds swirling over the irises.

The knight knew he had no choice. He had a bad feeling that the priest's will was not strong enough to fight down Argath's mark, but what could he do other than face Samaroh?

The priest solved the problem for him. In one blow Valkron was sent into a tree. As his head spun he felt the clouds swirl around his own irises and the mark grow hot as the rage that had stayed dormant for so long rose in him.

Valkron snarled. Samaroh laughed grimly.

They attacked.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Emeth watched as the knight and the priest fought against each other. There was nothing he could do here, other than freezing them - except he wasn't too sure if it solved the problem. He was sure it wouldn't.

He looked down at Iruna. She was staring at the fight too. Her eyes seemed to be following Valkron more, although she still had a hand to her cheek, where Samaroh had struck her. Emeth felt worried for her too.

He turned back to the fight. The priest had this habit of carrying a massive grand cross mace for quite a long time, but it was only now that he fought with it. And he was good with it - frighteningly good.

Valkron's heavily notched and scratched sword was not a weapon to be taken lightly of, unfortunately. As the clangs coming from the weapons resounded through the bare forest Emeth could see that both were unnaturally unhesitating warriors. He felt so frustrated that he felt like pulling out his hair. Even Valkron would hesitate several times, given his nature.

Sparks flew as metal screeched against metal. Valkron was snarling incoherently as he lunged and struck out viciously. Samaroh was laughing maniacally as he whirled aside, avoiding the sharp point of Valkron's sword by inches. They were complete animals, beasts that were fighting for nothing but dominance, believing that a swing of a weapon would change the world.

Emeth realised, with growing horror, that this was exactly what Argath wanted.

Valkron dodged a vicious jab from Samaroh and swung his sword upwards. If Samaroh hadn't jerked his head away the point of Valkron's sword would have pierced through his jaw and shot out from the back of his skull.

The priest swung out again, only to get a powerful block from Valkron. Both were fighting strongly but Valkron had the advantage because he was trained for close combat. He was hitting out with swift, strong strokes that did not allow any openings for Samaroh.

Emeth had the image of two powerful lions fighting for territory. He shook his head to get rid of the image but the damage was done. With the growing terror in his heart he knew he was watching the future of Rune-Midgard, if Argath's plan succeeded.

And the one they needed badly now was Valkron.

* * *

Sagna and Edell rode through the forest at breakneck speed to Prontera, from where the divining spell still shimmered. They arrived at the abandoned city just as the base of the spell began to disintegrate.

In silence they rode through the southern gates. The falcons were sitting on their shoulders, blindfolded to prevent them from taking off in fright from anything. They were not taking risks.

They reached Prontera Plaza and surveyed their surroundings grimly. What was once a beautiful, bustling place had become a desolate, silent and empty graveyard.

Edell's voice broke the silence. 'The spell came from there, in front of that inn. And look - the western gates have been unsealed. Only a wizard could unseal the gates.'

'Emeth must have done it then,' said Sagna. 'They stopped here for a while. I wonder what happened here.'

The crusader nudged his peco to move over to the inn. There he looked around. He did not touch the spell. 'There's a grave here - or what remains of it.'

Sagna joined him. Both of them looked at the makeshift wooden cross sticking out of the snow. The light from the ghastly spell above illuminated their pale faces. It wasn't the grave that was frightening.

There was blood all over the snow. Fresh blood.

And there were footprints in the snow.

Sagna sensed it first and shoved Edell off his peco. The crusader promptly fell off as the knight reined his mount around to face whatever was behind him.

He stared at the black peco. It had elaborate black-bronze armour covering its beak, across its breast and around its legs as well as pitch black drapings. Fire blazed from its eyes and taloned feet, and it seemed more like shadow than anything else.

Astride its back was a heavily armoured man. Sagna felt his blood curdle at the sight of him. He had straight chest-length hair and deep red eyes, as well as the whitest skin he had ever seen. There seemed to be dark liquid dripping from his hair and streaming down his face.

In the man's right hand was a great black sword. Purple fumes wrapped their tendrils around the evil blade.

Edell leapt to his feet and mounted his peco again. The three of them faced each other in apprehension.

'If it isn't Sagna and Edell,' said the man. 'Remember me?'

Edell winced. Sagna cringed, but he despised the man. He knew that dark voice - it had spoken to him before, when he had been humiliated by Valkron.

'Who wouldn't,' he said, his eyes narrowing. 'What do you want?'

'I should be asking you that question,' said the man, raising his massive sword. Edell gripped the reins of his peco tightly at the sight of it.

Sagna felt fear run its chilly finger down his spine. He ignored it and said, 'Get out of here. You don't have the right to be here.'

'Eventually you won't have that right too, Sagna,' said the man, riding around them. 'For this city is a lost hope, do you not think so? No one will stay here anymore except for memory.'

'That won't be happening so soon,' said Edell.

'Really? Can you prove it?'

'Yes, we can, Argath Iruvedla,' said Sagna hotly.

The wind howled even louder at the mention of his name. Argath smiled. 'I see you're not entirely ignorant of me.'

'Who wouldn't be?' replied Sagna angrily. 'Get out of here! This isn't your world anymore!'

'How childish of you, Sagna,' said Argath. 'Just like you had been when you wanted to defeat your teacher.'

'Just leave, Argath,' said Edell, as the knight flinched. 'Don't make me exorcise you out of here.'

Argath turned around. 'Threatening now? It isn't in your nature to threaten, Edell.'

'I'm not threatening, I'm just telling you,' said the crusader. 'I'm being polite. If you want me to be impolite just say so.'

Argath laughed. The laugh was not human - it sounded like many voices laughing together. 'Interesting humans! You seem more fun than the Raulus party! Why, I should have been better off playing around with you instead of them!'

Sagna felt his blood run cold. 'Okay, that's it. Leave Prontera. Even if you think this is going to be your world it hasn't happened yet. Go.'

'You think I'm going to take orders from you, boy?' sneered the Blood Judge. 'If you prove to be better than my master then I will leave gladly, but you aren't!'

'Fine, I'll challenge--'

'No, Sagna,' said Edell, blocking him with his shield as the knight rode forward. 'Leave it. Don't get angry, he'll just play with you.'

'You seem very knowledgeable, Edell,' said Argath. 'But you're too late. Sagna has already challenged me.'

'He didn't say who, Argath,' said the crusader, as calm as ever.

They looked at Sagna. The knight looked between them and noticed that Edell had just winked...or had he?

'I challenge you, Argath,' he said, drawing his sword and pointing it at the Blood Judge.

Argath smiled. 'I accept.'

Sagna charged. The black peco stepped aside and the great black blade crashed onto the silver one. The knight gasped at the impact but held his grip.

Behind him Edell maintained his holy magic on Sagna.

* * *

Snow flew everywhere as the two men struggled against each other, their weapons locked in a fierce battle. Samaroh strained against Valkron's strength as he kept his balance on the snow.

Their weapons unlocked and they sprang away from each other. Samaroh gathered energy to him in the form of white light and flung out his arm to point at Valkron.

White lightning shot towards the knight. Valkron's sword glowed with a yellow light briefly, before he held it up and blocked the spell with the flat of his blade, but he stumbled. Samaroh cast spells one after another, laughing hysterically as Valkron blocked and ducked to avoid them.

The knight looked up in between spells. Emeth was _sure_ that his eyes had flashed briefly before the next spell was blocked by Valkron's sword.

Suddenly the knight wasn't there anymore. Samaroh struck out - and just in time. The knight had appeared below him. Valkron shoved him backwards onto the snow; Iruna gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as he raised his sword and took aim.

The priest swung his mace. There was a clang; Valkron pressed downwards while Samaroh shoved upwards. They strained, sweat pouring off the priest's face while a vein stood out on Valkron's temple.

There was a roar. Both of them broke off and turned to face a great bigfoot emerging from the trees, clearly disturbed by the wild fight they were having. Its piggy black eyes stared into the angry eyes of both men.

It brought its foot down. Valkron and Samaroh leapt away; the ground shook horribly as snow flew into the air. The bigfoot bellowed as it focused on Samaroh.

The priest gestured swiftly. The bigfoot opened its mouth to roar but no sound came out from its massive jaws. In rage it brought its fists down onto the priest, who was suddenly frozen to the spot.

Iruna sprang to action. She made the sign of the cross and pointed to Samaroh before pointing to herself and then raising her shield. There was a crash as the bigfoot's fists hit an invisible barrier above the priest and the impact transferred to her shield. She strained to throw it off.

The bigfoot tried to roar again. Khan turned invisible and shoved Samaroh out of the way. Valkron looked up at it, and, as it focused on him and swung a fist down, he jabbed the sword upwards into its flesh.

The monster, finding its voice had returned to it, howled in pain. The Raulus party except for Valkron clapped their hands to their ears; the knight lunged forward and gave the bigfoot a few slashes to its great stomach. As it swiped at him he ducked to avoid it, rolled on the ground and slashed its leg.

The bigfoot lumbered around as it tried to keep up with Valkron's speed. He could be there one moment, plunging his sword in and then somewhere else getting ready to injure the monster. As they watched in trepidation the bigfoot flicked its massive claws out and swiped at the knight in a desperate bid to stop him. Valkron stopped it with his forearm but the claws left a long groove in his armour.

He looked up at it, just as it looked down, and brought his sword up as its claws swiped down.

Everyone stared in shock as Valkron's sword...shattered.

* * *

The ground shook as the two men, long since dismounted, charged at each other. The cold air reverberated with the sound of metal crashing against metal, as Sagna battled with Argath. And, ever faithful in his beliefs, Edell maintained his holy spells on Sagna as long as he could.

Sagna was having a hard time. Argath was certainly no stranger to fighting, even if he was already dead. The blood that dripped from him and flew in every direction as they fought was actually black and stank like a rotting corpse. He was sure he had some splattered across his face, but there was no time to stop and wipe the disgusting liquid off.

Still, he found it repulsive and almost threw up several times when the smell wafted past him. Whatever it was driving him to get rid of Argath, therefore, was mainly this reason.

'You fight like a madman, Sagna,' said the Blood Judge, bending backwards to avoid a particularly vicious lunge. 'That is indeed interesting.'

'Shut - up - you - daft - sod,' said Sagna, lunging in between words and trying not to breathe at the same time.

Argath laughed and lunged out as Sagna withdrew his sword for another charge. The knight felt the blade slice into his cheek, but strangely enough he felt no pain, and after the blade had passed there was no blood and no cut.

He turned to see Edell clutching his cheek. Blood trickled out from between his fingers.

'Edell--' he began, but the crusader cut him off.

'Get him first! Don't mind me!'

Argath whirled his blade over his head. Sagna brought his sword up in time and sent the blade ricocheting off his. Then he lunged outwards in a wide arc.

There was a screeching sound, and sparks flew as the sword scraped against Argath's breastplate. The Blood Judge hit his sword away, but there was a long scratch there now.

Argath sighed. 'And I was hoping to keep my armour perfect. Too bad you were the first one to deface it.' He swung his sword around his head, and as it did it began to drone. 'Because now your blood will be the first to be spilled on it.'

Sagna swore under his breath and tried to move, but found his feet frozen. He could feel fear running up his spine. As he looked up the Blood Judge was whirling his sword faster and faster above his head, the droning grating on his ears.

The knight was not too sure if he was ready for a dark version of his well-versed Bowling Bash, but he steadied himself and tried to calm his racing heart. He whispered to himself, 'Assess the situation. Assess the situation. Don't panic. Stay calm. See what he does.'

Suddenly an image of Valkron flashed into his mind. He heard the senior knight's words in his mind's ear as if Valkron was standing just behind him.

_'I don't know what you want from a battle, Sagna, but you should know it yourself. Don't let other people decide it for you. Call it selfish, but that's what is known as survival.'_

Sagna felt calm and peaceful. He kept his eyes on the Blood Judge and breathed slowly, his eyes watching. He had to get this right.

Argath charged, his heavy armour jangling. Sagna stood his ground and waited. Any moment now...any moment...

Argath leapt forward and brought his sword down. Sagna crouched low, and then shot upwards. The thick stench clogged his brain, but he kept moving blindly.

Blood splattered across the floor, and there was a scream of pain.

* * *

The glittering shards of the blade fell around Valkron like a shower of glass, falling as of through glue. Through them Valkron's face could be seen.

He was grinning.

'Thanks,' he said.

The bigfoot swiped low at him, but he was already gone, running up its arm. He reached the shoulder, and as the other fist clamped down over its shoulder in a bid to catch him he somersaulted over its fist.

The world held its breath. Valkron arced gracefully in midair and, as he fell head first towards the bigfoot he twisted over and plunged the broken remnant of his sword into its neck. The shattering had left a sharp spike of his blade, and that was what went in first.

Blood fountained into the air. Everyone backed off as the rain of blood splattered onto trees and the snow. Emeth cast a small fountain of water and fended off the blood from everyone. It seemed endless, as if they would drown in a sea of blood that streamed past them, black against the stark whiteness of the snow.

As the spray weakened Valkron landed on one knee not far from the bigfoot. Several seconds later the broken sword fell into the snow just behind him. There was a pause, and then the bigfoot collapsed with a ground-shaking crash.

The terrified party watched as the knight got to his feet slowly, weaponless. Blood dripped off his white hair and armour, but by the looks of it he had received the fountain of blood face first.

Emeth was the first one to run out from the trees, jumping over the streams of blood. Iruna gathered up her skirts and followed, and then Khan and Nocturne. Eni stayed with Amaru.

Valkron reached up to his face just as Iruna and Emeth got to him, and wiped off blood, flicking it off his hand from time to time. His face was so bloody he was barely able to open his eyes.

'Wait. Wait, Valkron.' Emeth stopped him. 'You're smudging the blood all over your face. Let me do it. Show me your face.'

The knight seemed to consider this, and then turned to face Emeth. The wizard aimed his hand at Valkron and water shot out of his palm and blasted his face. It lasted for a few minutes and then the knight was dripping with water and not blood.

'Trust you to do it for me. Thanks.' Valkron shook water out of his hair.

'Better to have you looking like you rather than looking like that awful Blood Judge,' said Emeth, watching the knight pick his way across the blood to the party.

They shrank away from him as he approached them, but he stopped and gave them an apologetic face. 'It's all right, really. I'm okay now. I don't intend to kill anyone.'

'Like we trust you,' said Eni, peeking out from behind Amaru.

'Trust me, really.' When they continued to look unconvinced he sighed. 'I only fight if I have the urge to kill. I just killed something so it's gone now. I want to see Samaroh. Let me through.'

With utmost reluctance they did so, parting as he walked through them. He made his way to where the priest was slumped against a tree and knelt down beside him.

'Samaroh, are you all right?' he said gently.

The priest stirred and groaned. 'Tyr's beard,' he said, struggling to sit up. Valkron grabbed an arm and helped him. 'I've never felt this bad in my life. Or sick either.'

Valkron knew what he felt. He took the priest by the shoulders. 'Steady there. Everything's over now. I'm not fighting with you.'

Samaroh looked blearily up at him. 'It was my bloody fault,' he said miserably. 'I just...shot my mouth off like that. I had no right to. I'm sorry, I really am.'

Valkron sat back on his haunches. 'Well, I'll be blowed,' he said. 'You're saying sorry to me for the first time ever since we met. And here I was thinking I'd be the one doing the apologising.'

'I was wrong, okay? No need to blame yourself for anything.' Samaroh looked down despondently. His cap had slid off his head and he seemed smaller than usual. 'Just...just being me refusing authority. Like I've always done. For the sake of attention.'

The knight sighed. 'It's over. It always will be. Stop flogging yourself over it, okay? What's past is past, there's no need to bring it up.'

But Samaroh seemed to be drowning in his own depression. 'God, I hated being in a family with four other kids and the youngest. No one ever looks at you or gives a damn about what you do. Wanting to be a healer didn't seem enough, they wanted an exorcist. An _exorcist_. Said they gave a family a good name...'

As Samaroh kept on talking it dawned on Valkron that he was _telling the knight everything_. He smiled a little, despite the current situation, and reached out and grasped the priest by the shoulder.

When the man looked up at him the knight smiled and said, 'It's over.'

And Samaroh knew what Valkron meant.

* * *

Sagna stared blankly. The ghastly stench had shut his brain down completely. The only thing he knew was that his nose was barely inches away from Argath's breastplate and that there was a black blade biting into his shoulder.

But there was something else he was vaguely aware of, too. If he moved his sword a tiny bit the stinking body of the Blood Judge would twitch involuntarily and a black gloved hand would squeeze his shoulder tightly. He knew, then, that he had won.

Very slowly he moved away. The black blade left his shoulder but there was no pain. His own sword slid out, covered in rotting slime and black blood, and clanked on the cobbles. Sagna backed away, still aware of the frozen figure.

In the light of the spell above Argath was frozen in his pose of bringing his sword down. His deep red eyes were wide open in shock. Black blood splattered out in spurts from the gaping hole in his abdomen.

Sagna turned. Edell was on his knees, clutching his shoulder where his armour had split into two. Blood dripped from his hand and he was whimpering.

'Edell,' whispered the knight. His hand relaxed its grip on the sword. The clang reverberated in the silent city; he ran over to the crusader's side and recoiled in horror at the deep cut in his face.

'I'm...okay,' gasped Edell, but a whimper followed his words and he sagged down again. Sagna looked towards Argath, still frozen where he was.

The cold wind began to blow, and as it blew Argath's cloak disintegrated. It continued to disintegrate upwards, and soon what looked like black butterfly wings were rising into the sly, fluttering their wings helplessly as they were taken by the wind to wherever they belonged. Sagna watched them go with a feeling of relief welling up inside him. The battle was over.

He became aware of a small white light next to him. Edell was slowly, but surely, healing the cut on his face. He was still in pain but he made the effort to close up the wound before moving onto the cut in his shoulder.

The knight waited until he had finished and then, as Edell sat back, said, 'You okay?'

'Yeah, I'm fine,' answered the crusader, passing a hand over his pallid face. 'Just need a bit of a rest.'

Sagna smiled. 'You didn't have to protect me.'

'If I hadn't you would be dead by now,' replied Edell, smiling back albeit rather wanly. 'It was necessary. That was a good bit of fighting there - Valkron would have been proud of it.'

Sagna was surprised Edell had said that, but the effect wore itself away almost immediately. He looked up at the spell in the sky and sighed. 'If Valkron is still alive, that is.'

* * *

Valkron had never felt more tired than before. Almost every part of his body ached badly and he was sure he had stretched a muscle or two. Every time he moved something in his back twanged horribly and he was forced to lie back against the tree he was sitting next to.

He looked up when a shadow fell across him. Emeth had set up his usual witchfire again.

'Thank you, Valkron,' said the priest, looking down at him.

The knight smiled a little. 'Sit down. You don't need to thank me.'

'No, I do need to.' Samaroh sat down next to him. 'After you stopped me from talking, look what happened.'

He gently pulled open his robe. Valkron sat up in surprise.

The swirling mark of the Blood Judge was gone from his chest.

The knight laughed. 'You told me everything. You accepted yourself for who you were. No need to thank me, Samaroh - you got rid of the curse by yourself, by making the right decision.'

The priest blinked in surprise, and then smiled. 'Well...if it hadn't been for you...but from now onwards I'm going to try to be an exorcist and help out.'

'What? How can you learn the spells at this stage?' said the knight.

'I can, I've still got the time and I ain't that old. Besides, I think I've almost finished with the Ultima Magna Exorcisma spell, just let me get a few bits done. The only thing I'm worried about is my energy.'

Valkron smiled and closed his eyes as Samaroh continued to talk. He had never felt more satisfied, more peaceful in his life. Gradually, lulled by the sound of murmuring voices as his party discussed the recent events, Valkron fell into a dreamless sleep that worried him no more.

And somewhere in his mind, before it shut down completely, a calm voice said, _Well done_.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The next morning found Valkron talking with Amaru as the party watched.

'So all you need is the ore, is that what you're saying?' said Valkron.

'Yes,' answered Amaru. In his hands the sharp, bloodstained remnant of Valkron's sword lay, as if it no longer had a life of its own.

'And what do you need?'

'I need quite a lot of steel. Firewood is easy to get, but at this rate I doubt iron ore will be available as well as coal. I need both.'

'What if I give you fifty pieces of steel?'

Amaru raised an eyebrow. 'You carry that much on your person?'

'Well, I carry "that much" so that I have some available for any upgrading I'd like to do, but I don't carry them with me. My armour weighs enough.' Valkron went over to his peco and rummaged around inside the large satchel that hung by its side. 'I'm sure I've got a bag of it somewhere...'

'All right, give them to me later,' said Amaru, picking up a piece of linen from his cart and wrapping it around the broken blade. 'I'll see what I can do. Would you like any element to be-- never mind, you're already saying no.'

'What weapon are you going to use now?' said Nocturne curiously, watching as Valkron fastened the clasp of the satchel.

'Hm? Oh...well, I carry one regular javelin with me as stated in Chivalry rules,' said Valkron. 'Let me untie it...'

He worked away for a while before turning back and showing them a plain, simple spear.

'I thought you were a sword person,' said Eni.

'I never said I just learned the arts of swordsmanship alone,' retorted Valkron. 'I learned spearmanship too, but I prefer swords over spears. As long as I can get my sword done I'll be willing to put up with these flimsy sticks.'

'So are we going to stay here until Amaru finishes repairing your sword?' asked Iruna.

'No. We'll move to the place first. When we're almost there we'll stop and let him fix it, and then we move to the place.' Valkron straightened his visor. 'Then I'll deal with my little errand.'

* * *

Deep in the bowels of the ruined city shadows flitted through the cavernous gaps, evidently panicking. They were collecting a large number of bodies they had picked up from all over the world and placing them in the centre of the underground hall, where the podium of the Fair Wardens had once stood, now a broken stump.

Suddenly, as if an unspoken word of command had been shouted through the caverns, the shadows fled out of the way until there was nothing left save for the rotting bodies and the maggots that wriggled within them, feasting on the rotting flesh.

After a few minutes there was a rustle and loud chirpings filled the hall. Darkwings streamed into the hall, chirping loudly as they whirled around the inside of the hall, forming a sphere of fluttering wings constantly moving around and around. At the centre of the sphere a cloud of darkwings was gathering thickly.

The cloud shaped itself into a human form and then solidified into the tall, dark form of Argath Iruvedla. He doubled over and fell to his knees, clutching at his stomach. His rasping breath changed into gasps.

As he gasped black mist rose from the bodies and wafted over to him, entering his mouth and nose. He took great deep gulps of it as if his life depended on it, welcoming it with his outstretched hands, trembling as he did so.

There was a crackling sound. The bodies were disintegrating into black mist - maggots, rotting flesh and all - and disappearing into him. Argath gulped it all down while muscle, flesh and skin mended themselves.

Finally the bodies were all gone, leaving nothing but a dark stain on the stone floor that would never stop stinking for days. Argath got to his feet and waved a hand over his clothes, which mended themselves.

He looked up. The darkness seemed to be mocking him.

'Laugh all you want,' he snarled viciously at it. 'I will have my revenge for this. Humans...they will always think themselves superior just because they have defeated one enemy. Hah! Lords of creation indeed!'

He paced the hall and then turned to the darkness beyond the hall. 'Come, my friends. Valkron and his wretched party have divined our location. Once they realise where we are they will come straight here and we will have to put our second plan into action before the first. And I do not want that to happen. Go, and confuse them, delude them, mock them to your heart's desire! Drain them of hope and willpower and their souls will be yours to devour!'

Chirping filled the hall as the ghastly darkwings took off from their roosts and streamed out like a thick black ribbon into the grey skies. Argath watched them go with satisfaction.

'Sweet dreams...Valkron,' he said, chuckling mirthlessly to himself.

* * *

There was a cheer as swords clashed. The examiners stood by one side and observed the swordsmen fighting each other. Beside them the instructors from the Izlude Swordsman Academy watched their students, either in growing despair or pride, and hoped that they would pass their final examination to becoming eligible for knighthood.

Priests stood by the side, waiting patiently. Although the swords the students were using had been magically blunted the swords themselves still packed a punch and anyone hit by them would feel as if they had been whacked over the head by a thick stick. The most common injury was broken ribs, which had the highest chance of occurring.

Amongst the swordsmen parrying, slashing and shouting in the arena there was one that some examiners had found interesting, and most of the audience. He stood out from the others because of his messy mop of white hair. No longer was he a straggling, lanky boy of thirteen with spots and stick thin arms and legs; he stood now, tall and defiant and well-built for his profession.

More and more examiners were coming to watch him. He moved so easily it was as if he was in water. And he was fast - so fast that his opponents were often baffled to find him behind them when they had thought he had been in front all along. It was as if he was a natural to swordfighting.

A bell clanged in the corner as his opponent dropped to his knees, far too exhausted to continue challenging. The swordsman tapped his sword on the sandy ground as his opponent was led away.

'Out of ten opponents Number Seventeen has defeated all!' the announcer shouted to a roar of support from the crowd. 'And he stands as the first to challenge last year's champion student!'

The swordsman with the white hair turned to look up. There, sitting smugly with King Tristan, was a knight that had the finishing medal pinned smartly on his breast. The swordsman did nothing but blink before moving off the arena floor to make way for the other duelling groups.

It was sunset by the time the duelling finished, and the swordsman with the white hair was the only one who could challenge the knight. He took his position after a twenty-minute rest in the centre of the arena, blazing torches around the edge to illuminate the area.

The knight grinned and pointed his spear at the swordsman. The boy nodded briefly, and then there was a clash as spear and sword hit each other.

The crowd gasped as they followed the moves of both of them. The knight was quite fast with his spear and moved like fluid...but the swordsman was incredibly strategic and did not run about so much like the knight did. They fought, circled the arena, and taunted each other.

Finally the knight lost his patience and charged. The swordsman threw his sword into the air, twisted around and grabbed the spear by his elbows, and caught his sword at the same time he yanked the spear out of the knight's hands. He twirled the spear in his left hand and aimed his sword at the knight's throat.

It was then decided. Not only did the swordsman pass the exam with flying colours but also gain the prestigious Chivalry Knighthood Scholarship and he would stay there as long as his service required him to.

* * *

'I still can't grasp why you attacked the bigfoot with just that piece of sword,' said Eni, tracing abstract patterns in the snow with a twig. 'No one in their right mind would have done that.'

'I wasn't in my right mind, if you recall,' said the knight, giving her a sideways look. 'But...all right, don't scold me for this, but my sword wasn't actually sharp right until it was broken.'

He looked somewhere else when everyone gave him a shared look, and continued, 'I just had to take the chance, right?'

'A chance that could have killed us all if it had gone wrong,' said Iruna.

Valkron shrugged. 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'll just put up with a spear until--'

Everyone looked up in the silence.

In a split second fire had streamed into the sky, right into the midst of the dark cloud of darkwings that had come pouring out of nowhere. As Emeth held out his staff and swept the jet of fire across the sky everyone leapt to their feet and drew their weapons, dropping anything else. There was no time to do anything else when the darkwings came.

Although the strong jet of fire burned the darkwings into nothing there were far too many of them. For a moment the wizard was standing with his face lifted to sky; next moment he was smothered in the darkwings that streamed out of the sky. Nocturne was sent staggering back as the overwhelming stench of dark magic clouded his senses and his brain. Eni shrieked and Khan was forced out of his invisibility.

Valkron held his forearm to his nose. The stink was incredible. He could feel the darkness creep into the edges of his mind and felt his soul rise to counter it. This was not the time to fall to the darkwings.

The chirping of the darkwings turned into high-pitched unearthly shrieks as a fiery spear blazed through them. Valkron was sweeping the spear through the cloud to clear them away. It was fortunate for him that the javelin was made of steel and not with a wooden haft.

Amaru snorted and tightened his grasp on his hammer. Golden light emanated from the weapon. He charged straight into the black mass and slammed his hammer into the ground. Valkron nearly lost his footing as the ground beneath his feet quaked, and then had to block the massive ripples of air as the resounding impact sent shockwaves through the area that scattered the darkwings.

Emeth staggered out of the mass, coughing heavily. The knight grabbed him and yanked him over to where Nocturne was trying to steady his spinning head. As the wizard sank to the ground, coughing weakly, Valkron looked at Iruna. The crusader caught his look and nodded, before holding her sword high in the air.

The blade began to glow white until it was a glittering blade of pure holy magic. Iruna lifted her head to the skies and closed her eyes, before plunging the blade into the ground in front of her. The impact sent her hair flying outwards and the darkwings recoiled as white light crashed down in the form of a massive cross with the crusader in the centre.

It was this that repelled the darkwings. A strong gale from the cross swept them away from the area, no matter how hard they fluttered their wings to stay in their spot. The darkwings rose into the air, chirping and circling the group.

'These wretched things,' said Valkron, wiping sweat off his face. 'How the heck are we going to get rid of them?'

'It'll take me another ten minutes to cast another Grand Cross,' said Iruna wearily, lifting her sword into the air.

'Wait, Iruna. That spell will wear you out as well as injure you. We've got a priest for a reason.'

'Samaroh doesn't do exorcism. You know that.'

'He wants to.'

They looked behind them. While they had been talking the priest had been singing quietly behind them. Now he was surrounded by white light as well as a powerful gale rippling his hair. In his left hand he held his heavy tome; his right hovered over the cover.

Suddenly he opened his eyes and shouted. His right arm shot out and pointed at the darkwings in the sky. Within minutes a powerful stream of white light fired into the sky and shot straight through the cloud. The darkwings dispersed hastily and then dived towards the ground in two groups.

They disappeared into the ground in front of the watchers. Seconds later the ground cracked.

Valkron looked around frantically. His eyes caught a massive crack running around the clearing. In panic he looked up at Samaroh - but the priest did not need telling. He held up a blue gemstone in the air and sang a few words.

The blue gemstone glowed, emitting white rays of light. The ground around Samaroh lit up in white and exploded into a massive magic circle. The force of it threw Valkron off his feet, but as he went down he saw the darkwings rise into the air from the ground. He grinned. Samaroh was doing his job well.

Just as he thought that, he turned to look at the priest. He was just in time to see the priest fall forward onto his knees.

Emeth staggered to his feet and aimed his staff into the sky. A jet of fire shot into the sky and exploded into an outwards spreading ring of fire that incinerated the darkwings as they flew upwards in a bid to get away from the mixture of holy and elemental magic.

Eni ran over to the priest and caught him before he fell. As quickly as possible she pulled out a potion bottle and uncorked it. He was semi-conscious but still able enough to take a pull from it, which rejuvenated him considerably. Valkron felt relief surge through him as the priest got up a little unsteadily and opened his book, ready to sing another spell.

The knight watched as the darkwings tried to assess the situation amidst getting burned to ashes and being purified out of existence. Emeth was casting spells nonstop - he seemed keen on getting revenge for being smothered. Nocturne pulled out arrows from his quiver and aimed them at the darkwings. A chord rang out, and before Valkron knew it there were arrows showering out from the sky. He was forced to take cover at the side of the clearing.

Amaru, Iruna and Khan joined him a little later on. The darkwings were in the sky and they were trained for on-the-ground, close combat. Eni was throwing acid bottles and flammable potions up into the sky, and it was decreasing the number of darkwings drastically. Along with Emeth's meteors, Samaroh's holy magic and Nocturne's ceaseless firing the darkwings were losing the battle.

Valkron whirled around. 'Khan!'

There was a screech from the darkness behind them. The assassin disappeared in a flash. Stick thin creatures leapt out of the forest and made for the three of them.

'Stay behind me!' barked Iruna. Valkron and Amaru threw themselves out of the way as she charged, sword out and ready. One, two, three swift strokes and five of the creatures were down. Two attacked her, and she whirled around, skirt flying out behind her. Down within thirty seconds.

Valkron got to his feet and concentrated. His spear blazed fiercely. The creatures leapt for him. He saw jaws lined with teeth sharp enough to rip through flesh and bone, and lunged forward. The creatures screamed as the burning spear tore through their flesh and snapped their bones like kindling.

The blacksmith was a little too slow in getting up. Six creatures pounced on him, only to receive a faceful of heavy coins. As they backed off, pawing at their faces with their spindly taloned fingers, Amaru got up and hefted his hammer.

He swung it around and around until the hammer was a blur. A humming sound filled the air. The creatures pounced on him again, only to be crushed by the massive head.

Valkron flung aside bodies and discovered they were surrounded. He grasped his spear, but Emeth whirled around. A red fireball was zooming around him in a widening circle.

_'Duck!'_

The darkwings dived. The creatures pounced.

Emeth threw back his head.

_Fwoom._

Valkron felt his hair ruffle in the intense heat as mighty streams of blazing fire shot over his head. He vaguely recalled the tree in front of him going up in flames and turning into ashes within seconds. The heat was incredible, melting the snow away. The ring of fire continued for some way, so when the light had faded and it had cooled down all that was left was a circular area in the woods completely devoid of snow. Sharp stumps of trees, charred and smoking, as well as the acrid smell of smoke and burnt wood, was the only evidence of the massive spell.

'Sorry,' gasped Emeth, as everyone turned to stare at him, 'but that was a last resort.'

'I should think so,' said Valkron, straightening up and staring at the surroundings around him.

Everyone sighed in relief at the lack of creatures and darkwings in the immediate vicinity. Iruna sheathed her sword and Amaru lowered his massive hammer. Khan reappeared near Eni, his katars dripping with black blood, and shook his head while Nocturne got up from the ground where he had thrown himself down to avoid the ring of fire. Eni and Samaroh fell to their knees, weak with relief.

Valkron looked at them. They had been the right people to stay with. This was the teamwork he had been hoping for all along, and he was thankful they had realised--

_'Valkron!'_ screamed Iruna.

The knight spun around to see one last creature rise up from the ground where it had been hiding. Its clawed hand swiped out. He clearly remembered its red eyes and its grinning mouth lined with razor sharp teeth before pain seared through his chest and everything went black.

* * *

Sagna's head jerked up.

'What is it?' asked Edell, looking up from tending the fire.

'I...felt something just then,' said the knight. 'I don't know what it was or where it came from.'

'It might be dangerous. Don't investigate it without me,' warned the crusader.

'No, I won't. But I have a feeling it has something to do with Valkron...somehow.'

'How can you tell?'

'I don't know. I just...know.' Sagna got to his feet, his chainmail jingling. 'But I wouldn't dare walk out into the wilderness just yet. I have no idea if I killed Argath or not.'

'I highly doubt it,' said Edell, looking back to the fire.

Sagna looked down at him. 'How would _you_ tell?'

'More or less if we wanted to kill someone like Argath we'd most likely have to cleanse using holy magic. I'm not that good, though, so the only choice we have is to use physical force to kill him.'

'Meaning?'

'That's just pretty much it, really. But in the Order we learn that to get rid of a supernatural entity we have to use its weak spot. I reckon that to kill Argath you either have to decapitate his head or plunge your sword into his heart. Your choice.'

'Hey, Edell, you don't want to know how it feels like to be close up to him,' said Sagna dryly. 'Unless you want to have a bad head cold and stuff your nose up with the stink of rotting flesh.'

'Spare me the details, Sagna,' said the crusader hurriedly. 'I don't intend to lose my appetite for several days. I got your point, but frankly it's what we have to do if we really want to get rid of him.'

Sagna sat down next to Edell. 'Then we should tell Valkron that. Argath's been targeting him all along.'

'The Blood Judge seems a bit reluctant to use Valkron now, though,' said Edell.

The knight gave him a look that was totally wasted because the crusader didn't notice it. 'Edell...I don't know where you get your ideas but you're starting to creep me out.'

'Argath was losing interest in the Raulus. For some reason. I don't think he can counter Valkron's ideals.' Edell crossed his legs and looked calmly at Sagna. 'Although he's a bit...violent, he does have a good sense of duty.'

'Who?'

'Valkron, of course.'

Sagna turned to look at the dancing flames in front of him. They were sitting inside the inn where the divining spell had been cast, and there were footprints in the dust. It had confirmed that the Raulus had been in there before them.

'I don't pretend to know him well,' he said slowly, 'but I think he's doing it for the sake of others. He doesn't do things for his own benefit. That's why he gets angry with knights who think highly of themselves and tells them off even if he's five ranks below them.'

'That's probably why Argath is starting to give up on him, I guess,' said Edell. 'If Valkron doesn't do things for himself how can anyone force him to do so? It just isn't in his nature.'

Sagna did not reply. He was thinking about the words that had echoed in his brain when he had been about to receive the final blow from Argath.

_'I don't know what you want from a battle, Sagna, but you should know it yourself. Don't let other people decide it for you. Call it selfish, but that's what is known as survival.'_

'He fights well because he doesn't let other people decide anything for him,' he said. 'And what he wants from a battle...well, they say we fight to live, but I think he fights because he wants others to live.'

Edell looked at him in surprise. 'Really?'

'That's what he believes in.'

After a pause the crusader said, 'He may be sarcastic, strict, harsh and difficult to accept, but Valkron is the best teacher I've ever had.'

Sagna closed his eyes. 'And I can't believe I despised him.'

In his head he thought, _I'm such a fool...if he dies I'll never forgive myself for it._

* * *

'I can't do it...I can't...don't make me do it anymore...'

The voice whispered over and over again. Valkron tried not to hear it, but he couldn't ignore it. It was his voice.

Or rather, it was his voice when he was younger. The memory was as clear as ever. Valkron opened his eyes and looked out onto a grassy plain.

He recognised the swordsman watching the knights walk away from him dejectedly almost immediately. A deep hatred for his younger self filled him as he looked at the boy. How he wished he had not been so weak before! He had often wanted to discard his past and never looked back if he could help it.

Valkron knew what point this was in his lifetime. This was his training for the exam that would take place in the Prontera Chivalry. Although it was sought for the privileges and pride that came with the knighthood that was the reward for passing the exam could not be achieved easily. Valkron had been part of the last batch that experienced the 10 pass rate for the exam before the standards were lowered.

The knights who had been training him had not been particularly kind to him. He had been forced to undergo extreme training, so harsh that the endurance training he took later on once he was a knight had been nothing compared to it. It was then that even his indifferent attitude had given way.

He could still remember the last words those knights had said to him, and they were spoken as clearly as he had heard them that day, now.

'You're a letdown, aren't you? We expected something more from the son of a "warrior of the world", let alone a knight!'

The mocking laughter reached his ears. He watched as his younger self hung his head guiltily and turned away from his instructors.

Valkron sighed. He had lived a lonely life. Other boys had laughed at him, girls had avoided him. For his whole time in the Swordsman Academy he had never had any friends. People stopped bullying him once they realised he was serious and did not like people fooling around with him, but even then he missed the taunts they had thrown at him then.

All because of who his parents had been.

The vision faded away, slowly, until all was left was the swordsman. He stood like there was nothing in his life worth living for.

_Get a grip on yourself_, though Valkron irritably, watching him. _People telling you what they think of you isn't the end of the world._

But he knew, even as he thought, that he was lying to himself. It may have been his life, but he took comments about him to heart and they stayed.

The swordsman faded away. What was left was darkness. Valkron felt as if a hole had opened up inside him. He felt cold and empty, and as his hand went up to his heart a voice said, _You know yourself for who you are...liar._

'Well, if it isn't you stewing in your own sadness again.'

He looked around. There was that knight again - the perfect copy of him that he so hated. The man was looking at him calmly.

'What do you want?' he said irritably.

'Ha ha. You don't seem to admit much, do you?' The man chuckled. 'Commendable behaviour so far. You've admitted your feelings for the others but I've yet to see you admit them for yourself.'

Valkron glared at the knight.

'That kind of thing is not going to get you anywhere, believe you me,' said the knight. 'Right now the only person who's going to tell you what you're doing wrong is yourself - well, me, but I _am_ you so what difference does that make?'

Valkron sighed. 'Tell me about it then.'

'You finally open up. Well. Interesting.' The knight coughed. 'But I'm afraid you're going to have to open up a little more than that, really. To others, not me.'

'And how's that supposed to help?'

'Trust in them. Yeah, I know that doesn't sound much but there's a lot more if you trust them. You think they're going to let you down at this stage, when you all have gone so far already?'

Valkron thought about this. 'Well...no, I don't think so.'

'Good to hear that. So, when are you going to tell her?' said the knight innocently.

It was quite difficult to hold it all back in. Valkron was still coughing when he finally managed to stop spluttering incoherently. The knight was grinning.

'What do _you_ know about it?' he said hoarsely. 'That's private!'

'How private will that be in the near future?' retorted the knight mischievously.

Valkron knew he could not lie. The answer was undoubtfully no. He could feel the heat rushing to his face and looked away.

'She won't like it,' he said. 'She doesn't trust men.'

'Of course you know she doesn't,' said the knight smoothly. 'But you can't avoid it forever.'

'You're not a prophet, you can't tell me that,' snapped Valkron.

'It's mighty predictable,' said the knight, folding his arms across his chest.

Valkron gave up. Somehow his inner self was more adamant and much more shrewd than he really was.

His copy sighed. 'You know, it would make things really easy if you get back there now. They're waiting for you.'

'I tried. I can't seem to open my eyes,' explained Valkron. 'It's like they've been glued shut. I just...can't get back to where I belong--'

'Oh come on, don't muck around,' said the knight. 'Get past the "I can't".'

Valkron stared. The knight turned away from him and walked off into the darkness, leaving him alone.

But Valkron didn't feel alone anymore.

* * *

The first thing he felt was the cold. It struck him much harder than he remembered and forced him to open his eyes.

He looked around himself blearily. The Raulus party was sleeping around the witchfire blazing quietly in the clearing. There was no sound apart from the blazing fire except for the howling of the gale that had been blowing ceaselessly for the past few weeks.

Valkron tried to sit up. Pain seared through his chest and he was forced to lie back down. They had piled blankets on him again, but this time he welcomed the warmth they offered him.

He looked down at himself. His chainmail had been rolled up to his chin, and a neat bandage was on his chest. It looked fresh but so did the bloodstain on the linen.

The knight couldn't believe he had lived. He had felt the claw snap a rib bone or two as it passed through his flesh, and the pain had been unbearable. It was no wonder he had blacked out almost immediately after that.

There was a slight snore from beside him. Valkron turned his head to see Samaroh with a blanket over his legs and chest, sleeping peacefully against a tree. He felt grateful towards the priest; Samaroh had probably spent more energy exorcising than healing and yet he had taken the trouble to expend a little more energy in healing Valkron before he went to sleep.

He looked up into the grey sky and watched the magic circle above them glow. It was rotating very slowly as he watched it, pulsing deeply with its horrible light. Valkron watched it lightheadedly as he thought.

After a while he sat up again, and this time he stayed up. He sat up for a long time, staring out across the snow at something in the distance. Then, very slowly, a smile spread across his face and it was a real smile.

They found him next morning fast asleep and still smiling. This was slightly disturbing. Emeth exchanged looks with Samaroh and knelt down next to him.

'Valkron,' he said softly, shaking the knight by the shoulder. 'Valkron, wake up.'

The knight opened an eye. 'Yes?'

'How're you feeling?' said the wizard, sitting back. Everyone drew closer to hear Valkron's answer.

'I feel okay.' Valkron sat up. 'Samaroh did wonders again. You must have been tired last night but you still healed me.'

'Don't need to thank me, it's my job,' said the priest, shrugging.

Valkron chuckled. 'Touche. Well, since I'm feeling okay I should be up and about. I can see my breath even more than I did yesterday. Someone help me up.'

Emeth held out his hand and pulled the knight up to his feet. Valkron handed back the blankets to Amaru and mounted his peco. The cut in his chest felt better now and wasn't bleeding anymore. He had never felt fresher in his life.

'We're almost there,' he said to the others. 'Just a little more and then I'll do whatever I need to do.'

'We've got a bit less than one week left, Valkron,' said Emeth, waving his staff at the spell in the sky and nearly hitting Khan in the eye.

'Not to worry there, we're quite close. Let's go.' Valkron turned his peco towards where he had been staring for so long the pervious night and rode off. Khan glared at Emeth and huffed at him before marching off. The others followed.

It took them about an hour and a half to reach a massive cave. The gaping hole felt ancient - indeed, there were large runes carved into the arch of the mouth of the cave.

'So...what do we do here?' asked Nocturne, sliding off the back of Iruna's peco.

'I told you, you're not involved.' Valkron dismounted. 'Amaru, if I'm not wrong you've already finished repairing my sword.'

'I did,' replied the blacksmith in his deep voice. 'I hope you don't mind about me carving my name into the blade. It's--'

'--a regulation, I know,' said the knight, taking the sword from him. He whistled as he looked at it. 'Good job there. It...feels different.'

Amaru shrugged non-committedly. 'For better or for worst?'

'I can definitely say for better. I don't need to use the javelin anymore.' Valkron sheathed the sword. 'So...I'll be back late. No one follow me.'

'Valkron?' said Emeth.

'Hmm?'

'You're really going to do this?'

'Yes, why?'

The wizard looked up at the cave. 'But that's--'

'Yeah, I know.' The knight turned away to enter the cave.

'Still, that's--'

'Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.'

'You're serious about this?' Emeth looked like he was having a hard time accepting what Valkron was about to do.

'Yes. How many times do I have to say this? Yes, yes, yes and yes. For the final time, yes. I'm not changing my mind. Are you happier now?'

'What is it, Emeth?' asked Iruna worriedly.

The wizard pointed at the cave. 'Want a translation of the runes?'

'Go ahead, it's all yours,' said Samaroh.

Emeth cleared his throat. Valkron was standing with his back to them.

_'Here I dwell, nightmare of children, taker of life,_

_terror of families, foe of men. Whosoever challenges me for name and fame, turn back now or never return from the depths of my cave._

_I am the lord of the darkness, the king of the monsters, I am death itself. Flee for your lives! for your death is upon you when you step into my home.'_

There was silence. Eventually Eni said, 'And that means...?'

'Baphomet lives here,' said valkron, not looking back. 'And...I'm going to fight him. Alone.'


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Valkron reflected, as he pulled himself out of Emeth's grasp, that he should be grateful he was much stronger than most of the others because of his profession and what it could lead to. Especially being able to pull himself out of people's grasp when they wanted to stop him.

There was a mighty hubbub as they tried to dissuade him from going. Iruna was hanging on to his cloak, which made it particularly difficult for him.

'You are NOT going in there,' said Emeth, as Valkron tried to pry her fingers off. 'I absolutely forbid you from entering that place.'

'You're mad, I admit that,' said Samaroh, 'but do you think we're just going to let you walk into the jaws of death all by yourself? No thank you, I'd like us all to live and not die by rash decisions.'

'That wasn't a rash decision, okay? Iruna, get your fingers off--'

'Valkron, think of what you're doing,' said Khan solemnly. 'Don't you think that's going a bit far already? We've been putting up with your antics but this is the last straw. You can't just--'

'I know what I'm doing, it's not like I don't know,' retorted the knight distractedly as he tried to get Iruna to loosen her grip on his cloak. 'I don't do things without a good reason, as you know. And this isn't an antic I'm carrying out here, this is necessary to our mission.'

'How necessary is it, then?' said Eni.

'It's extremely necessary, so stop bugging me-- by Gungnir, will you _stop dragging me back, Iruna_? You're not making matters any better, I've already made up my mind, now, once and for all, _let go of me_!'

Iruna let go. Valkron stumbled but regained his balance fairly quickly. He coughed and smoothed out his cloak. 'And I thought you'd let me do this peacefully.'

'Oh, like I'd let you commit suicide so freely!' said Iruna.

'Wh-- Commit suicide? I never said I was going to do that!'

'Your actions speak louder than your words, Valkron! Own up!' said the crusader heatedly. 'Stop lying to us and at least just say that you just want to get rid of us!'

Valkron blinked in the silence. 'No, I don't want to.'

Iruna threw her hands into the air.

'No, I really meant that. You...you've been the best party I've been with. We just needed to fight together and we've been doing that recently. Now, just let me do this.'

'How necessary can this get?' said Iruna.

'It's necessary if you want me to have a bit more of an advantage over Argath Iruvedla!'

No one said anything to this. Valkron glared at them before continuing, 'Baphomet has what I want, and so I'm challenging him for it.'

'Valkron, this is not the time to try and gain some fame for yourself,' said Khan. 'There won't be anyone to remember you if you do this now--'

'Don't you get it?' cried the knight desperately. 'I'm not doing it for fame! All I want is his crescent scythe!'

The silence was a lot deeper. Valkron knew, by the looks of some of them, that he was being considered under the 'insane' category. He sighed.

'I know you don't want me to put myself into danger,' he said patiently, 'but you've been doing that to yourselves. By agreeing to work together you're putting your lives on the line for the world. This errand is exactly like that, except that I'm doing this alone. Understand? I'm doing this so that we can prevent our world from being destroyed completely.'

He met their steady gaze with an equally steady look.

'And that's what I've decided to do,' he said firmly. 'You're not going to stop me.'

Emeth was the first one to speak. 'Well, I don't think any more persuading will work,' he said. 'Just...just come out of it alive, will you?'

Samaroh shook his head. 'I don't know. Fighting Baphomet on your own...I can't believe you'd go to those lengths to save us all.'

'It's your decision,' said Khan, shrugging. 'There's nothing we can do about it now.'

'That took a long time to realise,' said Valkron.

'It just doesn't seem right to go alone into the cave without us,' said Nocturne. 'I mean, what if you die? No one's going to heal you or back you up.'

'I swear by Thor's hammer that I am not going to allow myself to die whatever the circumstances,' said the knight.

'But still...ahh, count me out of this. I give up.'

'You know it's really dangerous to fight him alone,' said Eni.

'Yeah, I know. Might as well get this over with then.'

Everyone looked at Iruna. She coloured.

'You had better come back, Valkron,' she said, waving a finger at him. 'I will sue you in Valhalla if you don't.'

'Very funny, Iruna.' Valkron turned to face the cave. 'But I promise. I _will_ come back. We _will_ take back this world and restore it. We will.'

He stepped forth. They watched as he entered the cave, and did not take their eyes off him until he had completely disappeared into the gloom of the cave. Then there they were, just staring at the cave.

'Pretty confident there, I must say,' said Emeth.

Iruna stared at the cave, where Valkron had gone through. She felt worried and afraid - afraid that she would never see the knight again. She wanted him to come back in one piece and alive, so that she could hear his voice again and know that he would make everything turn out to be all right--

'Iruna?'

She snapped back to her senses. Samaroh was looking concernedly at her. The others seemed to be waiting.

'What?' she said.

'What do we do now?'

Iruna looked around at them and her usual self snapped back into place. 'Emeth, set up a fire here. We'll wait for Valkron outside the cave. Samaroh, get your pack ready just in case. Everyone stay alert, we might be attacked by Argath's wretched minions again.'

'But we want sleep,' said Eni.

Iruna sighed. 'Okay, what about a watch on a two-hour rota basis? Each one of us watch over the place for two hours. We all take turns. Is that fine with you?'

The party voiced their agreement. Iruna set about to assigning the others their time and was so busy she did not think twice about Valkron until she had finished arranging everything. She was taking the first watch.

As the others settled down, ready to sleep, the crusader sat down near the entrance of the cave and wished fervently for Valkron to return.

* * *

Argath strode down the empty hallways. After the defeat at the clearing he was not too happy with anything...but he had just received some good news. Something, he hoped, that would give him a chance to snatch away the world from the humans.

He came into the large hallway and looked up. 'Honourable one, I have some good news.'

There was the thin reedy voice again. Argath smiled. 'You don't need to worry. Everything is going as planned. I know you, high one, are desperate to see this world torn apart again like it has been before, but I promise you - when the spell I have set above the world reaches its saturation point and rips this world apart it will be yours once again, and I shall revel in the blood that is spilt at your pleasure.'

There was silence. Argath cleared his throat and continued, 'The candidate you have selected so carefully, alas, is of no use to us any longer. He has no value, no worth, nothing to warrant him the reward of your power and the Old Empire. He is a lost case, undoubtfully, at this point.

'However, we have found a new servant. He will be willing to harbour your soul within him, for unlike the others that are available he has no wish to trust people and absolutely no desire to be one of them.'

The thin voice spoke again. Argath listened intently to it and then laughed. 'Of course he will be worthy of you, my lord! He has the same qualities as you. You will not hesitate to be part of him, and he will not hesitate to be one with you. I assure you this, honourable one...I promise that when the moon is full in six days' time you will have him and the world in your power again.'

* * *

Sagna waited with the pecos outside the Prontera Library, tapping his foot from time to time. Edell had told him to wait there while he went and looked for something. 

He stared dreamily at the spell in the air. Although sinister and repulsive he couldn't help thinking it was quite interesting. The sages of Juno would have loved to know what kind of magic could produce a spell that could control the world...but then again the kingdom would be heavily against such research. And besides it gave him the shivers to think that an individual could have so much power over the world with that single spell.

Sagna shook himself. This wasn't the time to think of things like that. He looked up at it again, and this time he frowned. He was sure he had just noticed something--

'Hm, odd,' said Edell, emerging from the doorway of the library. 'I was sure it was here some time ago - hey, Sagna, let's get moving.'

'Huh? Oh, yeah, sure.' Sagna mounted his peco and waited for Edell to do the same. When they were ready they rode off towards the open western gates.

'What were you looking for in there?' Sagna asked Edell.

'There was a banned book in there the last time I looked. It had been there for quite a long time, hidden between the pages of another tome. The problem is that now it's gone.' Edell looked worried. 'I think that book told the answer to solving this sort of problem.'

'What was it about?'

'A historical account of the Old Empire and the Blood Ages, really. I don't know why the Monastery banned it, that was what it was all about.' The crusader sighed. 'But I did manage to get a piece of information.'

Sagna was feeling bothered about what he had noticed earlier, but he was eager to know what Edell had been looking for. 'What's it about?'

'The spell above us.' Edell unclenched his fist. In it lay a crumpled piece of parchment. 'Someone tried to throw this away for some reason.'

'And what does it say?'

'It says that the spell above us is actually a spell designed to absorb energy from the world and give it to...something else. I'm not too sure what that something would be but it ranges from a dead person to an art of magic.' Edell scratched his head. 'Which brings me to this point - is this the spell maintaining the "portal" Valkron mentioned about while Argath goes around his business?'

'Is it?'

'I don't know, but I think that's the most likely explanation why nothing changes even when Argath is injured. It doesn't depend on him anymore.'

'I wonder what the spell does other than maintaining a portal,' Sagna wondered aloud. 'I mean, it doesn't need that much energy, does it? Portals are just...doorways.'

'Doorways in the space of time, Sagna,' said the crusader, as the jingling of peco armour filled the cold air. 'Those aren't easy to support.'

'Give me a break, Edell, I wasn't brought up to go with magic,' said the knight. 'Unless the portal was bringing something really powerful or old with it, so it needs to be maintained...'

'Hmm, that's a good idea there,' said the crusader thoughtfully. 'It's possible...the thought of having a portal containing something within it...it might have to be something really precious, or old, or powerful, or even...'

'Evil?' suggested Sagna.

There was a silence. Then Edell punched his palm.

'That's it!" he exclaimed, ignoring Sagna's stare. 'Argath was renowned for his loyalty to Ilham Vedlavin, so now he must be trying to revive his master! But Vedlavin's been dead for so long his body is gone by now, so they must be looking for a body for him to possess! And while they search for one they have to sustain him, so the portal carries him within it! It all fits!'

'And I thought for a second you were going mad there,' said Sagna.

'Well, only a person who wasn't in the right frame of mind would think it,' admitted the crusader, 'but then again you can't blame me for it.'

'I wouldn't think we were in the right frame of mind anyway,' said Sagna. 'By the way, Edell - haven't you noticed something about the spell?'

'What?'

'It's been moving.'

'Yes, it does rotate,' observed Edell. 'I guess this is a much more advanced stage for the spell now--'

'No, I don't mean the rotation - okay, well, yes, it rotates, but it's moved. The last time it was above Payon, remember? Now it's over there, just after Geffen and moving up north.'

There was a silence for some time. Then Edell said, 'Blimey, you're right.'

'So what do you think of it?'

'I think...the spell is starting to reach its saturation point. It has to move closer to the thing it's granting energy to - in this case the emperor - so that it can give energy faster and not let it build up inside the spell. If it does the spell will eventually explode and lose the energy it collected.'

'Whoever designed this entire plan has a sick mind,' remarked Sagna disgustedly.

'Clever, even if it _was_ sick,' said Edell, giving the knight a look. 'Well, we should be moving on. The spell is heading northwest. Everything's falling into place now. I just wish I knew what Argath would be up to with finding a new body for his master.'

'We'll know, eventually,' said Sagna, rolling his eyes. 'Unless you suggest Valkron.'

There was a pause as they thought. Then Edell said, 'You just said Argath lost interest in the Raulus. What the heck are you trying to tell me?'

'What do _you_ think I'm trying to tell you?' said the knight irritably. 'I've already had enough with your talk on magic because I don't understand half of what you're saying and also I'm getting sick of talking about Argath Iruvedla. That man needs to go to Niflheim well and proper.'

'That won't be happening unless we can find Valkron and provide him with some backup with the Payon batch,' said Edell calmly.

'They can't get here that fast, Edell,' retorted Sagna. 'But we can send the message about the spell, how's that?'

'You write it then, my hands are freezing. Blasted Blood Judge and his plans.'

* * *

Time had never passed slower for the Raulus party. It was now well over fifteen hours.

To counter the boredom that had invited itself the members of the party had invented ways of passing time as they kept watch. Samaroh, for instance, had already watched. Pacing up and down had been one of his activities, as well as reading up on his spells. Khan had made poisons several times already, each one efficiently deadly. Amaru had spent time cleaning out his cart, which had been accumulating snow on a daily basis. Eni ended up memorising her various potion manuals.

Now it was Nocturne's turn. He was after Iruna, who had gone to sleep near the cave. As the witchfire burned he sat next to it for warmth and light as he picked thin but tough twigs lined out neatly in front of him.

He examined a twig and then picked up his dagger. Very carefully he peeled away the bark to reveal the sinewy layer underneath. After bending the arrow and watching it snap back to its original position he whittled it until it was thin enough to fit the metal arrowhead he had picked from his tools. He squeezed it on tightly and made swift cuts to the end so that he could fit the feathery shaft in.

Nocturne held up the finished arrow and scrutinised it before placing it with a small pile of already finished arrows. Then he picked up another twig.

He tilted his head to one side. He was sure he had heard something. But maybe it had been his imagination.

Nocturne turned his eyes back down to his work. Then his head snapped up again. There _had_ been a sound. It had been clear enough.

The hunter put down his twig carefully. Then he got up and moved a little way away from the fire and knelt down. It was amazing that even with his large boots he could move so silently.

He placed an ear to the ground and listened carefully.

_Clompk. Clompk._

Nocturne lifted his head a little and looked towards the cave. It seemed to be coming from there. He put his ear onto the ground again.

_Clompk. Clompk._

It was heading straight towards the entrance. He could hear it coming closer. Whatever it was it sounded very heavy and very slow. There was only one thing that could possibly sound like that.

Baphomet.

Nocturne sprang to his feet noiselessly and cursed under his breath. Valkron must have either been killed or too exhausted to fight any longer. And Baphomet must have known that Valkron had been with other people. The great monster was known for his rage at being fought with and being waited for outside his lair. They were in danger now.

He ran quietly over to Iruna and shook her, whispering her name repeatedly.

'Fgfl...what?' She looked up sleepily.

'Something's coming out of the cave,' whispered Nocturne urgently. 'It's slow, but I have a feeling that it's Baphomet.'

In an instant Iruna was awake and on her feet. She drew her sword and picked up her shield. 'Get up to a higher point and snipe him when he comes out,' she whispered to him. 'Go! I'm strong enough to deal with him and anything else that comes my way, especially those lesser servants who accompany him.'

Nocturne nodded and ran over to the side of the cave. He leapt up onto the rocks and jumped lightly from rock to rock like a mountain goat until he had a clear, unblocked view of the cave entrance. He drew an arrow and fitted it into his bow.

Once Nocturne was ready Iruna advanced on the cave entrance. She stopped far from it, however. She wasn't too sure if she could defeat Baphomet on her own, but if she couldn't she could still make enough noise to arouse the other members of the party.

Deep in her heart she wept for Valkron. He had lost the battle. Sometimes, she thought, the world was not fair to those who were willing to readily live - and die - for it. Now they would be leaderless, but she would fight to the death to reclaim the world and restore it to its former glory. And then Valkron would be remembered then, forever the knight who gave his life for the world.

She would never forget him.

The _clompk_ sound was getting louder and closer. Iruna raised her sword slightly. Nocturne aimed and pulled back his bowstring, focusing on where the creature would emerge. His fingers would be ready to release the arrow at the right time. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing must go wrong.

They waited...and waited...

_Clompk. Clompk_.

Iruna pulled up her blindfold. She must be focused on this. She would concentrate all her rage and all her sadness at Valkron's death into this battle. This was her responsibility, and she would do it.

_**Clompk. Clompk**_.

Iruna raised her sword. Nocturne tensed. Behind the crusader Emeth aimed his staff, having woken up to the sound of the footsteps.

Iruna tightened her grasp on her sword and crouched low. She looked into the cave to face of her most dreaded enemy.

And froze.

Nocturne was surprised when the crusader, still keeping her face towards the cave, signalled for him to come down. He hesitated at first and then gave up and leapt down.

'What is it?' he hissed at her, as he ran over to her.

She straightened up. When he was within arm's reach she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to her face. 'Get Samaroh. Now.'

'What?'

'Get him awake now. I want him ready with his pack. And move back.'

Nocturne obeyed bewilderedly. Iruna glanced back and saw Emeth's expression. He was staring, too.

Although she had asked Nocturne to move back, she moved forward, pulling her blindfold down. She was afraid and yet hoping against hope. It couldn't be...Baphomet would never do such a thing...did he?

She stopped as a figure emerged from the cave. Her heart caught in her throat and she reached out to grab the limp hand.

But it never happened. The figure passed her, still walking heavily, breathing laboriously as if every step needed a great effort. She turned and watched as the figure came into the dim light of the witchfire - and shrieked, waking up the others.

There were exclamations all around the fire. Khan jerked back in shock and nearly tripped over Amaru's shoes. The blacksmith caught him and went on staring. Eni covered her hands with her mouth as her wide eyes followed the figure's every movements, and what it held in its arms.

Samaroh actually yelped at the sight of the figure and dropped his pack with a clunk. He hastily picked it up again and tried to edge around the fire without getting too close to the figure.

'Khan, stop gaping and get some water in a basin or...or something,' he spluttered. 'Amaru, I need more clean linen. Uh...Eni, get your potions out, we might need them. Nocturne, look for the herbs I told you about a few days ago, there should be plenty here. Iruna...um...never mind.'

The others fled. Emeth got to his feet. Samaroh nervously approached the figure. But it was Iruna who reached it first.

'Valkron...?' she whispered.

In the silence the knight lifted his head slowly. His eyes were glazed and his eyelids heavy. Blood ran down the side of his face and dripped from his chin. His gloved hands had numerous cuts, all bleeding in little trickles, as well as a couple of cuts on his lower lip, the lacerations on his face and the dried blood in his upper lip.

Iruna came closer. 'Valkron?'

The knight did not look at her, but straightened up a little and let go of what he was holding. Seconds later Emeth had jumped out of the way and a massive scythe crashed down on the ground where he had been standing. It was black, even the blade, and had blood encrusted on it.

The crusader didn't know why, but she reached out for him. Her fingers never reached his skin. His glazed irises moved to look at her sideways and she stopped in fear he might do something to her. His breathing was still heavy and irregular.

Very, very slowly, the knight's eyes closed and he fell forward.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

It was not easy for the priest to do his work in the clearing outside Baphomet's cave. What with the frequent watching to see if the great monster would emerge from his lair any moment and the repeated requests to hurry up he eventually gave up.

'I can't do anything here,' he said, looking down at his charge. 'Besides, I don't think you'd call this hygienic. We need to find a place to do this properly, and in peace.'

'Are you sure he won't follow us?' said Eni worriedly.

'Wh-- oh, right. No, I don't think he'll come after us.' Samaroh got to his feet. 'Come on, help me out on this.'

It took them some time, but eventually they found a small empty village. No monster had plundered it yet - it still looked as if it was occupied. All that stood out from it was its emptiness and the gloom that blanketed the world.

They picked the nearest house and immediately set about to clearing it up. Samaroh ignored them and had Valkron moved into a room. Then he simply requested for about three basins of water - 'or in whatever you can find, as long it's that much' were his words - and shut the door resolutely in Iruna's face. They waited anxiously outside and around the house.

No one knew how long it took, but it felt like eternity. Samaroh was the only one in the party who owned a pocket watch - they knew it because anyone who stood near him would hear a soft ticking sound, and sometimes he would take it out cupped in his palm and wind it up again. Without the watch they were not too sure what time it was, but the priest had told them it wasn't very accurate.

Nocturne glanced up at the small clock on the table on the landing outside the room. It had stopped completely because there had been no one to wind it. He sighed and resumed pacing the room.

Amaru calmly lit a cigarette and pulled on it, gazing at a point somewhere above Khan's head. The assassin was standing next to the window and staring unblinkingly out of it, arms folded across his chest. He had taken off his sakkhat and pulled down his mask, looking completely like a normal person.

Eni sat on a chair on the corner of the landing. Her lunatic slept in her lap, occasionally twitching an ear as she stroked it vaguely, her violet eyes unfocused and down.

Iruna was leaning against the wall next to the door of the room, one hand resting on the hilt of her sheathed sword and the other on her massive shield, which was propped up against the wall beside her. She glanced at Emeth, who was standing on the other side of the door like her, eyes closed.

The atmosphere was growing thick with tension. When Samaroh finally came out he looked around at the silent party in surprise. Iruna caught his attention. She looked at him worriedly. There was no need to ask.

'He'll be fine,' said the priest, wiping his hands on the rag he usually carried with him. 'But he'll need a few days to recover. Even though he's extremely fit and quite strong those injuries won't be healing so quickly. Some were quite deep, to be truthful. And he lost a considerable amount of blood, I should say.'

'You make it sound worse than it is,' said Eni, but it was clear she was relieved to hear what Samaroh had to say.

'I'm telling you the truth, there's no need to say things like that,' said Samaroh irritably. 'Whatever I am, it's not in my nature to lie.'

Emeth and Iruna did not comment. As the others moved away, the relief in the room palpable, they exchanged looks and swiftly entered the room, shutting the door gently behind them.

In the darkness of the room the wizard quietly lit a stump of candle and set it next to the bed in its holder. The little pool of light it gave out was barely enough to light the room but it was better than nothing. It was only when Iruna, exploring the room for want of something to do, found a small ceiling oil lamp that gave out much better light.

They stood in silence by the bed and looked down. Without his armour and in his pallor Valkron looked like any normal man. Somehow his aggressive, aloof demeanour was reduced to almost nothing when he was asleep or unconscious.

Eventually Emeth broke the silence. 'I have no idea why, but most knights don't behave like him.'

'Because they're not him,' said Iruna evenly, not looking at the wizard.

'No, I don't mean that. For a knight of the Prontera Chivalry - and a mercenary at that - he's got ideals I've never thought of in the least.' Emeth tapped his cheek with his staff thoughtfully. 'And for someone who's stayed alone for a long time he seems to know what to expect from people.'

'I guess it's experience then,' said Iruna, still not looking at Emeth. 'I'm not surprised.'

'But even if they weren't in their right minds no one would have done what he did. Almost a day's battling with Baphomet nonstop, without backup...that's called suicidal. Who'd do it?'

After a few minutes Iruna looked up at the wizard. 'I think I understand,' she said slowly. 'Whatever Valkron's gone through has made him probably hate himself. Why do you think he always says, "Better me than you"? He'd rather die than let others. He doesn't value his own life but he wants others to live. Basically,' she looked down at the knight again, 'he sacrifices what he has...for others.'

'And I thought he just had an inferiority complex,' said Emeth, after a moment's thinking.

'He's fine,' said the crusader. 'There's nothing wrong with him, nothing at all. We just had to understand what he believes in, and what he knows.'

The wizard looked at the sleeping knight. 'Well, it'll take me ages to get to know him,' he said, 'but you seem to understand just by his actions. I'm amazed.'

'Looks like you still won't be able to understand women no matter how handsome you are,' said the crusader. She grinned at his expression. 'From my point of view, that is.'

Emeth gave her a look. 'I'm sure about it. I'm going to go and get myself a place to sleep before the others get all the nice warm places. See you tomorrow...or when I wake up.'

Iruna watched the wizard go before turning back to look at the knight. In the flickering light of the candle flame she thought he looked more gentle and less stern. She looked around her. The door was closed.

Hesitantly she pulled off her glove and reached out. The tips of her fingers touched Valkron's face.

_Vanodar._

She pulled her hand away. The memory was still fresh in her mind, and the scar still seared in her heart.

_What am I thinking? He'll never accept me for what I feel. Men are all like that...and I can't trust them anymore._

With a last glance she turned away, fitting her glove back on. She walked out as if she was glad to leave the room, but her face still remained sad and regretful.

* * *

Footsteps echoed in the passageway. Valkron tried to soften this noise, but eventually gave up. Even a knight who specialised in speed would never be able to silence the metal shoes that were part of their armour. He found an unlit torch and set it on fire with his Magnum Break before continuing his journey in the dark.

It seemed like it would take forever. The light of the torch did not reach far into the passageway. By the looks of it no one had challenged Baphomet for a long time - cobwebs hung thickly from the ceiling while stalagmites had risen from the stone in the middle of the passageway.

Finally the passage opened up into a great cave. Valkron straightened up and raised his torch. As far as he could tell he was in an old hall. He could make out the tall stone pillars towering above him, with elaborate carvings on them. Bringing his torch down he could see a sunken circular depression in the middle of the hall at the bottom of a series of steps. This he went down, his shoes clinking loudly in the silence.

The circle had looked smaller at the stop of the steps. Valkron went over to a large gong standing at the side and fitted the torch into a small bracket next to the great brass instrument. Then he hit the gong with the back of his hand.

The sound reverberated through the hall. Valkron strode slowly over to the centre of the circle, keeping an eye on the gaping hole on the other side, hand on sword. He did not have to wait long; within minutes there was the sound of massive hooves on the marble.

It was quite a sight to see Baphomet. The great goat was eight feet tall and towered over Valkron easily. Even in the dim light of the torch he could see the powerful muscles rippling under the shaggy fur.

The beast looked down its long nose at him. Valkron looked up coolly, hoping that his fear was not showing on his face.

Baphomet's nostrils dilated as he exhaled. Valkron leaned back in the breath that followed. It wasn't bad - it was similar to a small gale.

'_Interesting_,' rumbled Baphomet. '_In such troubled times you dare to challenge me?_'

'Yes,' said the knight.

'_I am sure you have better things to do, human._' Valkron felt his hair ruffle backwards as the last word was spoken. '_Leave or I will be forced to kill you for intruding my home._'

'You have something I seek,' said the knight loudly. 'I will not leave until I have it from you.'

At this Baphomet threw back his shaggy head and laughed hugely. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling as the sound shook the hall.

'_Human, what makes you think you can defeat me so easily? And what would you want from? Fame? There is no fame to be gained from fighting me. It is not an honourable battle._'

'I don't wish to fight you for fame, Baphomet,' said Valkron, bowing his head slightly. 'I have no wish for it. It brings me nothing. You have something I want, and I will fight for it so that I may have a better chance at resolving these troubled times.'

The goat gave Valkron a look. Then he snorted. '_If your intention is pure then maybe you will live. I see you do not want to change your mind. Let the battle begin!_'

He slammed the end of his scythe into the ground. Immediately torches set into the pillars around the hall lit up. Valkron could now see the depression for what it was - an arena. He spotted a few human skulls here and there, but there was no time to enjoy the scenery.

Baphomet charged, scythe low. Valkron drew his sword in one swift flick of his wrist. Blades crashed, the sound echoing sharply. For a moment Valkron feared his sword would break under the force of Baphomet's blow, but it gained only a scratch.

Valkron was not too sure how long the battle lasted, but he knew it took a long time. Baphomet's strength was unbelievable; halfway into the battle the knight's arms were aching from the parrying and the blocking he had done. He had almost collapsed under the impact of the blows several times, but each time he struggled to hold it and he did.

Baphomet brought his scythe down again. Valkron swung his sword up and felt the shock through his arms. He grunted with the effort of holding it, and with as much force as he could muster threw Baphomet's scythe off.

The goat was suprised. '_Impressive_,' he rumbled as he took a step back. '_No man or woman has ever thrown me off their weapons until you._'

Valkron muttered a bad word under his breath. His arms were shaking badly from that last blow. It was because of this that when Baphomet swung his scythe Valkron was unable to stop it and was thrown off his feet onto the wall. Luckily it was the flat side of the scythe that hit him.

The knight got to his feet, breathing heavily. Baphomet moved so easily, as if he was in water. Valkron could feel his back ache but he ignored it. For now he had to fight. He had to win.

The ground shook as Baphomet charged. Valkron set his sword ablaze and actually threw off the scythe. Then he threw himself low and scored a cut on one of the great beast's hind legs. Baphomet snarled and swung his scythe downwards, but Valkron was already gone.

As the knight aimed he felt the darkness within him rise. He forced it down and focused on his battle. Now was not the time. He had no intention - and certainly knew he did not want to - of killing the beast. Rune-Midgard might consider him the biggest pest of the kingdom, but the beast was there for a reason and Valkron liked to keep the balance intact.

However it was not easy. Every time he saw blood it rose, fighting to control him. Valkron almost screamed with frustration at the two battles going on simultaneously, until he eventually lost concentration for one moment.

He paid dearly for the lapse. Baphomet hit out. Valkron was thrown on the wall sideways, and while he tried to get up with his head spinning he could feel something warm and wet run down the side of his face. The smell of iron reached his nostrils and he nearly retched.

The knight tried to focus on Baphomet again. His head throbbed horribly and his vision blurred. How could he fight like this? He had no way of winning.

Valkron growled at himself for thinking like that. Baphomet hit out. The knight struck the scythe so hard that the goat actually skidded backwards slightly.

After a long time Valkron knew his body was unable to hold on. Argath's mark taunted and distracted him mercilessly, causing him to sustain numerous injuries. He felt aching all over and he could see he was leaving a trail of blood spots wherever he went. Baphomet had thrown him against the wall over and over again; he was sure he had a few broken ribs.

But he could not stop fighting. He willed himself to go on, and as he did he felt an irresistible heat rise within him. His heart lifted - it was not the darkness this time, but his own body responding.

He snarled and resumed fighting, this time seeing the world through a red mist. If anyone had been with him they would have been shocked to see his red eyes. It was a normal state swordsmen worked themselves into sometimes, although Valkron avoided it most of the time because the state often made them go mad and they ended up killing their own mates.

Baphomet narrowed his eyes at the sight of the berserk knight and then charged. This time Valkron hit forcefully and angrily. The goat was pushed back towards the hole from whence he came.

'_Commendable_,' said Baphomet, suddenly stepping backwards to avoid Valkron's blazing sword. '_But now it must end!_'

Valkron looked up. Baphomet swung his scythe.

It was over within seconds. When the knight hit the wall he knew it was the last blow he could withstand. He slid down it, leaving a smudge of blood as he did and slumped at the base. It was too much for him.

He felt the ground shake beneath him as Baphomet approached him. Weakly he lifted his head and looked up into the beast's red eyes. His berserk state had lifted, leaving him as a human again.

There was silence. Then Baphomet said, '_Why did you seek to fight me? You are no match for me._'

Valkron coughed. 'I wanted...your scythe.'

Baphomet looked surprised. '_You...wanted my scythe? Whatever for?_'

'It would have given me...a better chance...against the darkness...' Valkron gasped the last word out; he was far too tired to speak properly any longer.

For a few minutes the goat watched him. Then he said, '_What is your name?_'

Valkron looked up at him suspiciously. This was probably a trick...but what other choice did he have? He was entirely at the mercy of the lord of the darkness.

'Valkron,' he said hoarsely.

Baphomet hrumphed. '_And you fought me all for my scythe. Well then, Valkron, I was not entirely ignorant of your condition throughout the battle. You were fighting two battles at the same time, and you got this far._'

Valkron couldn't believe what he was hearing.

'_You are the only human who has fought me not for fame, not for money, but to gain the privilege of wielding the most feared weapon in Rune-Midgard. And it is only to fight back against the darkness that threatens to control our world, not to defeat your foes. For your world you are willing to give your life._'

'You can't be telling me...that I won...?' said Valkron weakly.

'_You did not win, Valkron. Not in terms of the battle. But those who have won battles with me have gained nothing. There was something else you defeated, and that was yourself. It is the greatest enemy you could have ever fought, and for that I give you my scythe._'

The knight stared as the Baphomet laid the massive weapon at his feet. He could not stop staring. He thought he had failed.

'_And even I, the lord of darkness, think that you should not be plagued with such a thing within you. You do not deserve it. Therefore let me take it from you, and be free._'

Baphomet lifted his great clawed hand and pointed at Valkron's forehead. The knight felt a bitter sensation rise through him and gasped as it emerged from his forehead in the form of noxious purple fumes. Baphomet sapped it away and got to his hooves.

'_Farewell, Valkron,_' he rumbled, turning back to his hole. '_You have done well._'

And those were the last words Valkron remembered that night.

* * *

He opened his eyes. There seemed to be a yellow light above him. It hurt his eyes, so he closed them.

That was the only thing he remembered, so far. He had no idea how he had come to be in a bed. Of course, the bandages wrapped so tightly around his various appendages were obviously the work of Samaroh, but how did they get him out of there? Had they been so worried about him that they eventually went into the cave and got him out?

Valkron opened his eyes again, this time a little more cautiously. His eyes adjusted to the light by degrees, so eventually he managed to leave his eyes open.

The first thing he noticed was that he was in a room that looked quite proper. He was puzzled at this. Hadn't everyone been evacuated already?

Valkron felt quite warm and snug in the bed, although he ached in some places. He raised a hand to his head and felt the thick, soft linen wound around it. It felt slightly soggy; he did not doubt that the cut on his head had healed that fast.

Very slowly he attempted to sit up. The first few stages went well, but then as he straightened up a sharp jab of pain sent him lying down again. He lay in the bed, wondering how bad his injuries were.

As he thought in silence the door to the room suddenly opened, and Samaroh walked in. The priest was carrying his pack with him and looked quite indifferent to what he was doing. It was only when he saw Valkron did he drop his pack in surprise.

'By Odi-- Valkron, how're you feeling?' The priest sat down next to him.

'Not so bad,' admitted the knight. 'But I think a few days' rest would do.'

'You've already been having a rest,' said Samaroh. 'It's been three days since you battled with Baphomet. You've been asleep the whole time.'

Valkron stared at him. 'You're kidding me.'

'Do I look like I fib on a regular basis?' said the priest irritably. 'Why do people keep assuming I tell lies?'

'But we've got to get to the portal soon!'

'Emeth says not to worry, though. Don't ask me why.' Samaroh got up and picked his pack up. 'All right, no more questions till I'm done. I need to change your dressings.'

Valkron sank into the bed and let the priest do it. Samaroh worked quickly and efficiently, his long fingers deftly unwinding the bloodstained bandages, cleaning the wounds and binding them with fresh linen. Although he worked fast there were so many of them that it took quite a long time for him to finish.

As he worked away Valkron asked him, 'How did I get here?'

'You came out of the cave on your own,' answered the priest. 'Then, seeing that you needed more than a bed of grass, we scouted for a place and Nocturne spotted this little village.'

'I...came out on my own?'

'Yep. You were a right mess. Had us all in shock with you trailing blood and bleeding all over like that. It was amazing.' Samaroh tightened a bandage; Valkron winced. 'And the fact that you actually got the scythe as well.'

'For how long did I battle?'

'Can't say for sure, but I take a guess at between fifteen to twenty hours.'

Valkron stayed silent. Samaroh looked at him worriedly.

'You okay?'

'Hm? Oh, I'm fine.' The knight tried to sit up again, and this time he succeeded. Samaroh steadied him. 'Just thinking how crazy I was to do that.'

'That was what we said in the first place,' said the priest. 'But frankly I'm glad you made it out alive.'

Valkron stayed silent at this. Samaroh, seeing his silence, gave him a pat on the shoulder and left the room, closing the door behind him quietly and leaving the knight in thought.

After a few minutes the door opened again. 'Valkron?'

The knight looked up, jolted out of his thoughts, at Emeth. The wizard was blinking worriedly. He could see the golden eyes and the expression in them.

'Hello, Emeth,' he said softly.

Emeth came in warily, closing the door behind him. 'Samaroh told us you were awake, but he didn't want all of us to go in. Said you were too tired to talk to all of us in one go.'

Valkron was glad Samaroh had said that. He didn't think he could take on five people in his room.

'Thank him for me for that, will you?' he said, watching the wizard take the seat the priest had previously occupied.

'Yeah, I will,' said Emeth, clearly too distracted about Valkron to listen properly. 'You okay? Seriously?'

Valkron smiled. 'Yeah, I am. Just tired.'

Emeth did not look convinced, but he settled for it anyway. He sighed. 'We were so worried that you wouldn't get through it alive and in one piece. Iruna set up watches so that we could keep an eye on anything coming our way...especially you.'

'She set them up?'

'Yeah...actually, I think that was the main reason for setting up the watches. And when you came out all covered in dirt and blood we couldn't believe it.'

'Mm.' Valkron leaned against the wall behind the headboard of the bed. Emeth's voice comforted him.

'Samaroh was sending us out and getting us to get stuff for him, but eventually he said the forest floor wasn't the best place for you, so he got Khan and me to carry you while Nocturne went and looked for a place. He found this village and we got over here.'

'Wasn't I a bit heavy to carry?'

'_Heavy?_ Are you kidding me? You were...well, let's just say we were thinking of Amaru's cart, but Samaroh refused point-blank.' Emeth had the decency to look embarrassed.

Valkron didn't seem bothered by it. 'How did you manage then?'

'Oh, we got some armour off you and then bullied Nocturne into supporting you. Still wasn't easy, though. I swear your shin armour left bruises on my arms.' Emeth sat back in his chair and sighed. 'But we got you here, and Samaroh set to work on you. He was right when he predicted you wouldn't be able to get up for a few days.'

No answer.

'You are one hell of an amazing guy, you know that? I've never met anyone who could ever solo Baphomet just for his scythe. I admire you, Valkron, I really do.'

No answer.

Emeth became aware that the knight wasn't answering and looked properly. He relaxed and smiled a little. Then he got up and adjusted the blanket before leaving the room quietly.

Valkron had fallen asleep.

* * *

Valkron recovered fairly quickly and eventually he was able to walk around. He had to get used to the fact that the party, who were waiting for him to recover, had taken off most of their working clothes. It had been a first for him - especially Iruna. 

'What, you've never seen what a crusader wears under his or her clothes? I thought you'd know, being a knight and everything.'

Valkron laughed a little. 'Crusader and knight are two entirely different professions, you know.'

'Doesn't mean you have to be completely ignorant of it,' she said, winking at Emeth. The wizard was grinning.

'Oh, come on I can't be expected to know everything-- Emeth, stop sniggering or I will go over there and see how far your staff can go up your nostril,' warned the knight. 'Iruna, give me some allowance.'

'You never did for us,' said the crusader.

Valkron opened his mouth, and then shut it. Then he opened his mouth again to ask, 'Is it me or am I being played around here for the fun of it?'

Iruna laughed. 'What do you think?'

Valkron threw his hands into the air. 'I give up.'

The crusader patted him on the back. She was wearing blue trousers and a thin blue shirt that was padded at the shoulders. Completely devoid of armour, she was a completely different picture to him.

It was difficult for him to realise what the feelings deep in him meant as well. He had never felt more complicated before, and merely thinking about it exhausted him. Emeth just thought he was occupied with the portal and left him to it.

Finally Valkron gave up and wandered outside with Baphomet's scythe in his hands, fully dressed. Most of his injuries had healed completely and he felt a lot better.

He tried out the scythe. It was just the right weight for him, and it balanced perfectly. He marvelled at it as he twirled it in his hands. It was no wonder everyone coveted the crescent scythe so much - such a weapon could be so perfect.

'How does it feel?' said a voice.

After Valkron was sure his heart had not leapt out of his mouth he turned around. Iruna was standing in the snow, fully dressed and armed.

'You try it for yourself,' he said, throwing her the weapon.

She caught it deftly and swung it around. Her eyes widened. 'Tyr's beard,' she breathed, 'this is amazing.'

'I know. It was worth it, after all.' Valkron went up to her and took the scythe. 'I wonder who made it for him.'

'I have no idea about that, but I'd like to know too,' she said, her breath forming in front of her mouth.

The knight ran his fingers up and down the black wood handle of the scythe. It was smooth and polished. Samaroh had actually washed it free of the blood encrusted on it and let it dry away from the snow.

'If I had to die by this weapon,' he mused aloud, 'I'd do it gladly.'

'Oh, you,' said Iruna. 'We're going to tackle the portal and you _had_ to say that, didn't you?'

'Sorry.'

As they stood in silence Valkron felt something soft and cold touch his cheek. He looked up to see small white specks floating out of the sky.

'Snow,' said Iruna. 'Not the freakish ones.'

The snow fell around them softly. They watched, one knight, one crusader, standing together.

'Something beautiful happens,' said Valkron, 'when we're so close to doing what we have to do.'

'It's like the gods are sending us off,' said Iruna somewhat dreamily.

'Now who's talking about being unlucky?' demanded Valkron, but the effect wasn't there. It was all taken in by the softness of the snowflakes around them.

After a while Iruna sighed. 'It's lovely, but we can't stand out here all day and watch. We've got things to do.'

'Mm-hm,' said Valkron.

She looked at him. 'You really meant that, did you?'

'What?'

'About not standing around and watching the snow?'

When he nodded she sighed. 'You never learn how to relax, do you?'

Valkron was completely taken aback by this, but he rallied magnificently. 'Wha-- look, no, wait. I do relax. This just isn't my way of taking time off.'

'What, not watching the snow?'

Valkron sighed. 'I don't think this would be the time to anyway. We've got to get moving.'

'You really should learn how to appreciate little things around you,' said Iruna reproachfully. 'You should.'

Valkron gaped at her. How did they talk about snowflakes to this in a few seconds? He'd completely lost track of the topic. He gave himself a mental shake.

'I do appreciate small things,' he said. 'It's not like I don't.'

'Like what?'

Valkron mouthed, lost for words at this grilling he was receiving. Then he said, 'I appreciate that you're standing here with me enjoying a little time before we start fighting all over again with the remotest chance of us ever seeing each other at the end of the battle.'

It was Iruna's turn to gape at him. She managed to say, after a few minutes, 'And is that sincerely from you, or is that just the knight talking?'

'It's from me!' said the knight hotly.

'Really?'

'Yes!'

'And if I asked you why would you tell me, honestly and to your word as a knight?' she said.

'Is this a trick question?' said Valkron, a few minutes later.

'No.'

Iruna sighed. 'Once and for all, Valkron, tell me why you said that. You could have said a million other things.'

_And I should have said them instead of what I said just now_, thought Valkron miserably. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 'Because that's who I am.'

Iruna gave him a look. He looked back at her with an eyebrow raised.

Finally she said, 'I don't know if you're really saying it or not, but you don't seem to be telling the truth. Or rather, you seem to be telling me part of it. It's still not enough to convince me.'

'Convince? What is there to convince?'

'That you are really a worthy person to be with.'

Valkron stared. Then he said, 'You know, I think my brain has completely stopped trying to work out why we're having this conversation. Let's get back into the warmth.'

'Shows how insensitive you are,' said Iruna. 'I give up on you, too. You'll never understand.'

Valkron sighed. 'You're right. I'll never understand. I'm just someone who lives alone.'

Iruna turned around in shock, but the knight was already walking back to the house. She hesitated, and then ran towards him.

'Valkron!'

The knight turned. Iruna came to a stop.

'I should be the one saying sorry to you,' she said, hanging her head. 'I didn't know that. You never said.'

'I never talk about it,' he said. 'I don't want to.'

Iruna looked up into his face. For the first time since they had met she looked straight into his eyes. Although she had known they were deep green and were almost always solemn or hard or angry, but she had never seen them this way before. The clarity, the colour...there was so much detail she had missed before and she couldn't think how.

But the only thing she could really think of now was her brother. He looked like that too. And she found herself thinking what she had always thought whenever she had looked into his eyes.

_He may be a warrior, a man of duty and responsibility and a stubborn fool at times, but his eyes will always tell the story of his life._

Iruna looked down. 'I'm sorry.'

'You don't have to be,' said Valkron.

'I didn't mean that. I'm sorry because I...I offended you.'

'You didn't.'

'I don't take myself into consideration these days.' Iruna brushed her hair away from her face, looking everywhere except at Valkron. 'I've never been. I thought everyone around me was doing something wrong and I didn't. I'm the fool around here.'

'Iruna.'

She looked back at him. Valkron looked quite indifferent.

'If it helps serve your memory I was doing that too, before this,' he said. 'So let's just be quits. We were once fools. It's up to us to change that. Let's go back in, Iruna, it's getting cold out here.'

The crusader stared at him. Then her face broke into a smile. 'Okay.'

Valkron looked down at her. The little calm voice in his head said, _So?_

Hesitantly, still unsure of whether he was doing it right or even if it was the right thing to do, Valkron leaned forward and kissed her.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

'I am not sure,' began Samaroh slowly, 'if you are all right, Valkron.'

The knight stared at him. 'What do you mean?'

'You've been humming.'

'So?'

'You? Humming?' Samaroh made an economical gesture the knight could see straight away. 'It doesn't link.'

The knight sighed. 'Yeah, I'm probably not okay. Is there something wrong about it?'

'Well, no, but for you to hum in such a situation doesn't seem to be your nature.'

Valkron didn't manage to answer him for quite a long time. When he did the priest hastily grinned apologetically and backed off.

'Does it matter?'

'Well...no., not really.'

Emeth coughed from behind Valkron. The knight turned and gave him a glare that had no effect on him whatsoever.

'I am _sure_,' he said, turning the glare back to Samaroh, 'that some of us have unfinished packing to do.'

The priest hurriedly scuttled off, clearly not wishing to be at the receiving end of a sword. Valkron turned around to face the wizard, who was leaning casually on the door behind him.

'When will you tell the rest?' he said, before Valkron had even opened his mouth.

'I am not intending to tell the others! Why should I?'

'Because they know it. We're just waiting for you to admit.'

Valkron gaped at him. 'How-- How did you all know that I was--'

'It was relatively easy. You like to be with her and talk to her. From the very start you were in love, weren't you?'

The knight buried his face in his hands. 'There must be some kind of newspaper that circulates around you all but never reaches me. I wasn't even aware that I was showing such signs and you noticed.'

'Comes of being observant, I guess,' said Emeth. He got off the door and patted Valkron comfortingly on the shoulder. 'Never mind, Valkron, we understand. Just admit in front of us and we'll just assume it's natural...well, for you. Since somehow you liking someone just doesn't quite connect in my mind.'

'I think I understand that,' said Valkron.

'So? Then let's get on with it!'

Valkron sighed and let himself get pushed outside the house where everyone was waiting. He had ordered them to pack the very moment they woke up, and within half an hour everyone was ready. Of course there were complaints, but Valkron was doing something reasonable - he had already wasted enough time recovering from his injuries. There was almost no time left.

He saddled his peco and then turned to the party. 'Right, are we ready to go?'

'You bet,' said Eni cheerily.

'For you, definitely,' said Nocturne brightly.

Valkron was now seriously wishing no one had known in the first place. He sighed for what felt like the tenth time that day. 'Look, I know you guys all know it, I know it, let's just get this over with, okay? I'm not having people sniggering behind my back over it. I...'

'Am in love with Iruna,' said Emeth.

There was quite a lot of tension in the air as Valkron gave Emeth such a ferocious glare that the wizard actually put up his hands to block it _and_ backed off.

'All right, since it's out let's get going. I don't have the time to show my affection for Iruna and vice versa even if I'd like to, because if I'm not wrong we've got about one day and a half to get to the place and reach the portal to destroy it, according to our wizard.'

'Wait, I might be wrong,' interjected Emeth. 'I used Samaroh's watch to discern the time we need. As he said it wasn't accurate I'm not too sure if we're one or two days early...or late.'

'Emeth?'

'Yes, Valkron?'

'I hate you.'

'Thanks.'

The knight shook his head in exasperation. 'Let's set off now. And no talking about anything else until this is over. That's an order.'

He looked at Iruna. She was wearing her blindfold again and looked quite stately as she squeezed the sides of her peco. The bird let out a honk and thudded forward on the white snow. Valkron followed her some moments later.

He hadn't any idea of how romance had ever felt like in his life, excluding the one or two odd crushes he had had in his earlier days. They had been short-lived, but for Iruna there was a burning passion for her deep inside him. Now he understood why lovers always wanted to "live and be there for each other".

Valkron didn't want the feeling to leave him. He had never felt more complete in his life. It was as if something warm and bright had entered his cold, dark and empty life and filled him with a pleasant tingling sensation.

_Is this what love does to you?_ he thought.

'Valkron, you're heading for a tree,' said Emeth from behind him.

The knight veered his peco away from it, cursing mentally. _This is also what love does to you_, he thought disgruntledly. _Distract you._

In the silence he rode forwards, looking for what he wanted. And soon he was the only one who saw it.

* * *

Sagna and Edell were riding at a regular trot through the forest towards Geffen when the falcon they had sent out to Payon returned, circling overhead as it waited for them to stop. They halted and it alighted on Sagna's arm.

The knight slipped off the silver cylinder from the falcon's leg and unrolled the slip of parchment. 'Devar wants us to follow Valkron's trail and become the backup. They have to stay in Payon to take care of the residents.'

'Ah, right.' Edell took the falcon from him and blindfolded it easily. 'Have you ever wondered, Sagna, what the odds of us standing up to Argath and his minions?'

'If I'm any judge, Edell, practically nil.' Sagna snapped his fingers and set the message on fire; it burnt to a few specks of ash which he dusted off his fingers. 'But then again let's just hope my bet is wrong. I make a lousy bookmaker.'

'You're not the only one.'

They rode on in silence for some time. Then Edell said, 'Sagna...why are you so willing to look for Valkron?'

'Why are you asking me that question?'

The crusader shrugged, his shoulder armour jingling. 'He was your old tutor. I still remember the day you stormed into the Chivalry and asked for another tutor. According to you he had been "working you like a mule".'

Sagna did not answer for several minutes. Then he said, 'I was being childish. Valkron was the best teacher I ever had.'

'Are you saying that because you think it's your fault if he dies?' said the crusader.

The knight stared at him. He looked back innocently.

Eventually Sagna said, 'Yes. And yes, I'm a pathetic fellow.'

'I didn't say that.'

'No, but I bet that's what you were thinking.'

'No, I wasn't.' Sagna could see now that he really wasn't lying. 'I just wanted to know.'

'I hated him a lot before,' said the knight quietly. 'To me he was just this pushy officer who acted like he knew everything. When he was assigned to the Mercenary Division I was so happy about it I actually went back to the barracks and celebrated with other like-minded friends. We got drunk and insulted him. I wish I hadn't done that now.'

Edell said nothing; he looked straight ahead.

'But now I see he really _does_ know everything. He knows more than the knights who've never taken the mercenary job before. He knows that although people think of knights as courageous, valiant and fair heroes the real job actually warrants a lot of dirty fighting.'

'You don't get points for fighting fair,' said Edell.

'Exactly. Valkron knows it too, he's probably cheated dozens of times. But that's the life of a mercenary! And if knights didn't cheat in their fighting once in a while I guess they probably wouldn't be alive.'

'Valkron doesn't cheat. It's called the...the weakness point strategy.'

'That's just a nicer way of putting it.'

'Yeah, well, but Valkron does think of it that way. He simply aims for the weak point of the enemy. Besides, isn't that what the enemy's been doing to us and him? They've been directly attacking everything we fear and worry about, and terrorising us this way. Valkron's just...paying them back in kind. I don't doubt for a moment that he's been treated the same way by Argath as well.'

Sagna thought about this. 'But I still wish I had listened to him all the same. After all the trouble I caused him...he's going to remember me as the most bothersome, childish student he'd ever had.'

They listened to snowflakes falling.

'I don't think he thinks of you that way,' said Edell. 'Valkron isn't the kind of person to think like that. Yeah, you may have been some troublesome kid, but he probably used to be one too.'

'He's the only knight to have ever been under the Chivalry Scholarship in fifty years, you know.'

'Still. Not everyone's perfect.'

They listened to some more snowflakes.

'Then why are _you_ so willing to look for him?' asked Sagna.

'Because I want to return a favour he did me recently.' Edell looked up into the sky. 'I can't just let it pass. I want to repay him.'

'Oh.'

Yet more snowflakes.

'I'm sure we'll manage to reach him in time,' said Edell, smiling at Sagna. 'He's not the kind to let himself die so easily.'

Sagna looked up at the sky. 'I'm going to be relying on your words for now because that's the only thing that's keeping me going now.'

* * *

Argath stood in front of his liege and watched for some time, blood running down his face.

After a while he turned and walked away, flicking his bleeding hair out of his face. His second plan was having a transition stage. He was not used to it but he ended up having to wait around for the stage to end.

For now he was tracking progress of Valkron's party. There were no fancy tricks to do this - no floating eyeball, no pool of mercury (or blood or water or ink), no third eye, no Second Sight. He just knew.

That was what made him so fearsome.

And, waiting for orders, stood a million-strong army at his command and disposal. Men would kill to have the Blood Judge's position.

But Argath was not satisfied. The fools who had resurrected him years ago had left him incomplete. Assimilating souls had not been enough for him. The blood that ran from his scalp was the blood of the people he had sentenced to death without trial, and he wanted to get rid of it. There should be no memory of the Old Empire left, his master had said. Except for both of them.

In his mind he could see the party heading towards where they were situated. He smiled grimly as he watched. It would be time to fight against another knight. He disliked the way the humans had worshipped the knights of the world, and he loathed the way they worked.

He knew why there were knights in Rune-Midgard. During the Blood Ages he had some of the empire's finest warriors under him. They had been once tasked to collect taxes and were in charge of the people's welfare, but under him they had become feared enforcers of the emperor. After the empire had fallen the new kings decided to resurrect the noble profession of the knight again...but this time they were never to revert to the horrible face their profession had once taken during the Blood Ages.

Argath laughed at this. He knew Valkron, even with his willpower and ideals, would never be able to defeat him. He had been once commander of those feared knights and he was now the commander-- no, the general of the dead. He savoured this position, for no one could take it from him without killing him first.

But as for the party behind Valkron...they were strong as well. The red-haired wizard was a powerful magic user. Argath had known many wizards in his time, but he had never seen such a powerful one as this. And there was the crusader. She was not as strong as a fully qualified male counterpart but the strength in what she believed was frightening, even for the Blood Judge. He had dealt with a few difficult crusaders - or should have been if they had not been so shaky in their beliefs. This crusader was like an anchor to a ship in a storm.

Then there was the hunter. Naive, yes, innocent, yes, but his eyes could not be veiled. He always saw the truth, the big picture of everything and told it for what it was. Argath had known humans to tell themselves lies to comfort themselves but this boy took refuge in the truth! This was not a good thing for him.

The blacksmith and the assassin had an extremely strong friendship. Argath knew that whatever he could do would not separate them. He had to think up of something else. The priest was probably not that hard to deal with but his fighting spirit would pose a problem to the Judge. The alchemist would be easy enough.

Argath stopped walking and thought about this. The thought of killing them immediately was attractive, but it wasn't _fun_. He wanted to have some fun with them, as well as have them prove themselves worthy of fighting him. He wouldn't want prey that were easily bowled over by the simplest of his attacks.

After a while he smiled grimly. He had the answer. Someone who was weak, someone who would give in to the darkness in the heart...someone who was in Valkron's party.

He couldn't _wait_ to play with his newfound toy.

* * *

'That's a first,' said Samaroh. 'Who ever heard of Baphomet lifting a curse from a human? I thought he hated humans.'

Valkron had related everything he could remember about the battle with Baphomet. Samaroh's remark was the first to break the silence that followed the story.

Valkron continued riding. Samaroh was actually sitting sidesaddle behind him. On the other peco Eni sat huddled with two blankets and Iruna's cloak wrapped around her.

'I'm amazed,' said the priest, aware of the silence. 'What did you do to old Bapho?'

'Don't ask me on that, please,' said Valkron. 'Because I have absolutely no idea and I can't help you there either. Don't make me think about it.'

'Ah,' said Samaroh.

'Baphomet actually has the power to lift an undead's curse?' said Khan in disbelief, as he strode through the snow. 'Did he completely remove it or did he just leave, say, half of it to torture you?'

'That's a good point actually, Valkron,' said Nocturne, leaping lightly over a few small humps of snow. 'You just took his scythe and left with it. He'd be angry with you.'

Valkron didn't answer for some time. When he did eventually, they stared at him.

'I think he understands what he represents in this world. I've always thought he was there for a reason, and maybe he is. He probably knows we're here for a reason as well.'

After listening to some wind, Eni said, 'Could you...explain that, please?'

Valkron sighed. 'If we lived in a world without him what would there be to fight for? If he lived in a world without us, what would there be to fight for? Nothing. It'll be boring. A perfect life, but boring. In my personal opinion, he is siding us - for now.'

'_Siding us?_ Unbelievable.' Samaroh shook his head. 'Really, I don't know where you get all these ideas...'

The knight elbowed him in the ribs. 'Just accept it.'

'It might not sound logical,' said Emeth, for the first time after Valkron had finished, 'but I think he's right. Baphomet isn't a stupid beast. He's old, and he didn't get to where he was by being friendly with humans but not necessarily hating them all the time. He probably sees us as a necessary part of the world.'

'Whatever he said,' added the knight. Emeth gave him a one-eyed glare, but the corner of his mouth was twitching.

'Well, I thought you'd have a better way of explaining it,' said the wizard.

'The only thing I can say about this is balance.'

'Balance?' said Eni. Valkron nodded.

Samaroh took off his cap and dusted the snow off it. 'And you intended to maintain it all along?'

'Hey, I'm not completely ignorant, you know,' snapped Valkron.

The priest patted him on the shoulder. 'Relax. I just wanted to know.' He leapt off the peco lightly, and Emeth took a running jump to land behind Valkron. The peco squawked in protest.

'Careful there.'

'Sorry.'

Valkron shook his head at the party behind him and turned to look at what he was seeing again. Although he had been talking to them he had never wandered off the track once. The others probably hadn't observed a thing, but he knew what they were heading for.

As Nocturne and Samaroh got into a friendly argument about maintaining balance and its ideals Emeth leaned forward and said in a low voice, 'So where are we heading for?'

'You'll see,' said Valkron calmly after the initial shock of Emeth's breath tickling his ear.

The wizard sat back and said no more, but the knight suspected he had guessed. He said nothing. It was best if he said nothing, because mentioning the place would send almost everyone into an absolute panic.

He also had a feeling he wouldn't be able to hide it any longer. The bare trees around them had just looked empty and desolate, and the snow was crisp and white. But as they made their way towards the place their surroundings were changing...and drastically.

Valkron rode on, looking straight ahead. He did not show any sign that he had noticed the bottle trees starting to replace the general vegetation - twisted, haunting bottle trees, with great gaping holes in their swollen trunks like mouths and outstretched branches overhead like talons greedily reaching out towards them as they passed.

He also did not show any sign of seeing the snow turn from white to grey and then to black, before giving way to blackened ground. There was no snow in the area for some reason, but he did not say anything.

After a while Eni said, 'Is it me or is it getting colder?'

'I have no idea,' said Iruna.

'Of course you don't, you're wearing so much armour.'

Valkron turned to Iruna. 'Stop here.'

The crusader did so, no doubt puzzled at this. The others stopped as well.

'All right, I'm going to scout ahead and see if it's clear. Don't follow me or I'll wallop your head off.'

At this Emeth got off the peco hurriedly and stood by the side, watching rather bewilderedly as the knight rode off towards wherever he wanted to go. He disappeared into the twisted trees a few minutes later.

Valkron rode towards the place. The others would not have noticed that they had been walking on a path all along. _He_ did, because he remembered the way clearly enough.

As he rode on a voice came into his head - a memory that wasn't very old. He smiled to himself. Yes, he had been here before, he had made a name for himself in that very spot. Although fighting wraiths had certainly not been his forte.

He came to what he was looking for a few minutes later. After several minutes of looking at it and reminiscing about the place he turned his peco back and returned to where the others were waiting for him.

'Let's go, shall we?' he said.

'Go where?' said Nocturne.

'Ahead.'

Emeth gave him a look. 'Why aren't you saying what this place is?'

'Actually, I'm assuming you'd know this place,' said Valkron.

'No, I haven't been here before in my life.'

Valkron's face stayed blank for a few minutes, before he said, '_Anyone_ else never been here before?'

As one the others raised their hands. Valkron buried his face in his hands and muttered something on the lines of 'Oh great' before looking at them again.

'Just come along. And when we get there don't panic, okay? I mean it.'

* * *

Edell was using a small compass to take their bearings when Sagna tapped him on the shoulder. The crusader had a large split in his shoulder armour where Argath's sword had broken through with its force, but the knight avoided it. Most people attracted a crusader's attention by making a sound on the shoulder armour and hoping they would notice the faint _tink_.

The crusader turned. 'Yes?'

'Oh. I thought you didn't hear it,' said Sagna, looking surprised.

'I did. People keep complaining to me about the armour thing. I just thought it would be better if I train myself to hear things like that.'

'Okay.' The knight looked slightly disconcerted but continued with whatever he wanted to say. 'Haven't you noticed something?'

'What?'

'That means you haven't. Sorry,' the knight hastily added as Edell gave him a look. 'Look up there.'

They turned to the great spell overhead.

After a few minutes Edell said, 'I don't see a difference.'

'It's bloody bigger, for Odin's sake! And it's glowing even brighter now!'

Edell tapped his nose. 'Well, I'm sure there's a reason for it. Come on, let's get moving.'

'How can you be so calm in the face of that?' asked Sagna, staring at him as if he was the most ridiculous thing the knight had ever seen.

'It's best to be calm than to panic,' replied the crusader, his eyebrows raised. 'But we should seriously keep moving. It's the best way we can keep ourselves and our pecos warm.'

Sagna's peco honked in agreement. The knight considered this and then sighed. 'I wish I could keep as calm as you.'

'It's not that difficult,' said the crusader quietly. 'Besides, you were like that when you dealt Argath that blow through the torso.'

* * *

The Blood Judge watched the spell above the world intensify in brightness and enlarge. He was smiling grimly, and for a good reason.

After a while a flock of darkwings flew into the underground cavern and circled him, chirping loudly. He listened to them before nodding.

'Exactly what I wanted,' he said calmly, lifting a hand. A darkwing fluttered down and alighted on the tip of his middle finger. It flapped its wings slowly.

Argath turned around and looked up at his charge. 'Is it not satisfying your need, honourable one? Thousands of souls are feeding into the spell above us. Once it is fully saturated it will convert the souls into the darkness that once befell the lands above and you will have power once more.'

The thin reedy voice whispered something. It sounded feral and ancient, and gave the impression that something close to a malicious imp was talking.

'Of course, my liege,' said the man smoothly. 'Of course you will rule. But you will be given a new body. I promise you that. It will be a body worthy of your soul, because it will be filled with hatred and anger, and you can convert that to what you were before, am I right?'

Something lashed out, but not at him. He laughed softly.

'Yes, my lord, I understand how much you want that body. You are all knowing and all seeing. Without you I would not be able to do what I can now.' The darkwing on his hand fluttered away as he went down on one knee and bowed to his charge.

Argath stood up a few minutes later and turned on his heel. As he strode of he could feel the hundreds of souls pouring into the spell he had created as in Al de Baran and Juno the armies he had dispatched made quick work of the remaining survivors who had taken refuge in the cities.

'Foolish knights,' he said softly, a thin smile playing around his lips. 'They think they can run from me.'

* * *

Although the eight Prontera Chivalry soldiers didn't know it, they were the last knights in the world other than Valkron, Iruna, Sagna and Edell. All the cities were deserted and empty, too - it was Payon that stood out from the rest, free from danger other than the odd enraged creature of the forest.

However they were not spared from the effects of the great spell above them. Even though it was moving away from Payon it was still casting its effect everywhere. It was the reason why Devar had fallen sick and was almost incapable of giving orders.

Kanya watched him from the doorway of the house they had been given to stay in. No one knew what illness had befallen him. He had a burning fever and was far too weak to get up. For some reason his body rejected almost every food and liquid they tried to give him, accepting only water. From time to time they could hear his hacking, dry cough through the thin walls of their rooms.

As a result Redova, Kanya, Anox and the rest were unable to have a proper night's rest. Anox was the most senior crusader in their group and he had guessed the purpose of the spell as soon as he saw it grow bigger and brighter. The old crusader was fighting to keep Devar alive and not let him fall to the spell, but even then everyone doubted Devar would live.

As Kanya watched she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Redova behind her. He signalled her to follow him. A few minutes later they were standing outside the house.

Kanya blinked. Although the spell above them was bright enough to illuminate their surroundings the people of Payon had set up torches everywhere. The resulting mixture of orange and purple light gave the surroundings - including the people - a rather haunted look. Redova didn't look any better.

'You need some sleep, Redova,' she said, before he could say anything. 'You look terrible.'

The knight stared at her. He had dark shadows under his bloodshot eyes and looked no more than a ghost to her.

'No, never mind about that,' he said at last. 'Besides, it's hard to sleep when your superior is sick and on the brink of death.'

'But still--'

'No buts!'

Kanya cringed. Redova squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before opening them again and pinching the bridge of his nose.

'I'm sorry, I feel tetchy right now. I didn't mean it.'

'I understand,' said Kanya carefully.

Redova shook his head. 'I just want to know if your decision to send Edell to find Valkron was the right thing to do.'

'I'm sure Edell is fully capable of doing things on his own,' replied the knight rather defiantly. 'If you think I make a lousy tutor, Redova, I suggest you try to take on a student on your own. I can recommend you for it.'

'No! No thanks.' Redova turned away from her. 'It's not that. I'm...worried he might not have the experience to deal with his current situation. He's just a student, after all.'

'Don't forget you're just fresh out of the Chivalry, Redova. It doesn't necessarily mean other students are incapable of making their own decisions before they graduate. I believe in Edell.'

'He's passive for someone like him.'

'You just don't know us crusaders, do you?' said a voice they knew all too well from beside them. They turned to look at Anox, who was leaning against the wall of the house.

At the sight of him they gaped. Anox sighed.

'It's not a matter of whether they're capable or not, Redova,' he said. 'The two of them know that a very heavy burden lies on their shoulders, and they have to bear it. As knights of the Chivalry they will have to uphold their honour.'

'Whatever for?' said Redova. 'There isn't anyone left in this world to acknowledge their honour!'

In one swift, angry movement Kanya had stepped forward and given Redova a ringing slap across the face. Anox stepped back, looking alarmed.

'We're still here, Redova,' snarled the knight fiercely, 'so don't you dare say that!'

There was a stunned silence. It was only when Devar's cough broke it did anyone move. Anox slipped into the house, still looking at the two of them in alarm. Kanya was glaring at Redova, who still had his head to one side from the force of the slap. There was a red mark spreading on his cheek, vaguely hand-shaped.

The younger knight raised a hand to his cheek, still dazed by what had happened. Kanya huffed and turned away from him. She couldn't believe that Redova would have so little faith in what he believed, and in other people.

However, she too felt a little doubtful about Edell. She cared deeply for the young crusader and of course she would be worried if he fell into trouble. Still...it was time he had to do something to prove himself. He may have been quiet and reserved, but she understood that he had been waiting for a long time to prove himself. Even if it meant doing it during a time where no one would be able to acknowledge him if they failed, it would at least comfort him that he had tried.

Anox slipped out from the house, his brow creased. 'I seriously wish I could do something for Devar,' he said.

'We can't, except support him. All he can do is give orders from where he is,' replied Kanya, looking at him.

'He won't be doing it anymore.'

'What do you mean?' asked Kanya anxiously. Beside her Redova had looked up in surprise.

'Devar...just slipped into a coma. I can't wake him up.' Anox had never looked so despairing before. 'He's fighting the battle to stay alive all by himself now. It depends on him.'

There was a silence. Kanya couldn't find any words to say, and by the looks of him neither could Redova. They stood there in silence, all thinking their own thoughts but each reaching to the same thought in their own time.

_It all depends on Valkron now._

* * *

The party were beginning to glance at Valkron, as they walked on towards wherever he was leading them. At first this was not so obvious, but as time wore on and they began to notice their surroundings the glancing became more and more frequent. Valkron, leading everyone ahead, did not appear to notice the glances and the looks he was getting. Even Iruna was starting to turn her head towards him even more, clearly worried about where they were being brought.

After a while, Nocturne, who had been hopping from foot to foot in nervousness as he had walked, finally voiced whatever the entire party had been thinking. 'Valkron,' he said, 'where are you taking us? This place isn't nice.'

'That took you a long time to observe,' replied the knight.

Nocturne rolled his eyes. 'I know that. But seriously, none of us know where this is. Could you...drop a hint, at least?'

'If I told you now,' said the knight, still not looking behind, 'you would all panic for your lives and run. Which is what I'm not intending because I don't wish to step into this place and battle alone.'

'We know that too, Valkron,' said Iruna. 'But we're not going to just abandon you. Not after your battle with Baphomet.'

'Yeah, I still can't believe that you did that on your own,' said Samaroh dryly.

'Look, in a few minutes you will know,' said Valkron tiredly, keeping his eyes fixed on one spot. 'Just wait, please. Don't keep bugging me endlessly for me to tell you. I'm the leader here. I choose to tell you what I want to tell you.'

'This had better have a good reason behind it,' said Khan.

'It does.'

After a while they rounded a corner on the blackened path they had been walking on until now. Valkron stopped his peco and turned to look behind him. The rest of the party were staring upwards. Even Iruna had pulled down her blindfold.

'Like the view?' he said casually.

They stared. And stared. And stared some more.

Valkron dismounted and tied the reins of his peco to a nearby tree. 'Iruna, I suggest you tie your peco here too. They won't go in, they can sense whatever's here. Arm yourselves and get ready. We're going to start fighting.'

After a minute or so Emeth said, 'Start fighting?'

'Yes.'

'Is it going to be...a war?' asked Eni.

'Yes. You could put it that way.'

Valkron was hoping against all odds that none of them would run. They were still gazing at the view before them. He turned around and looked as well.

A great black wall stood in front of them. It was heavily cracked and there were holes in it where the supporting stones had fallen out, but now, against the darkened gloomy skies it loomed far above them. The lookout towers on the wall seemed grim and menacing. And above all the great black gates that stood before them gave out an aura that reeked of evil.

The knight strode up to the gates. He gripped both rings and heaved at them. With much puffing and grunting he pulled the gates open until there was a gap large enough for all of them to pass through in a single file. As the gates creaked open a gust of cold wind blew out past him, stinking of dark magic and blood.

Valkron dusted his hands after he had got them open. The grinding of the gates had brought back memories for him - sinister, haunting memories. Some of those memories were quite horrific and he couldn't help squeezing his eyes shut in order to stop them from filling him with disgust and horror. It had to be done.

It must be done.

He turned around to the waiting party behind him. They were staring at him, all of them whiter than a sheet.

'You're sure we're going in there?' said Nocturne, his voice quaking in fear.

'Yes,' answered Valkron. 'Everything's here. The portal, Argath - they're all here. We have to stop them now.'

After a few minutes Samaroh said, 'Somehow I know what this place is, but could you just...tell us what it is?'

Valkron shook his head. 'Just follow me. We'll have to do it, and you can't deny it. Get your weapons, leave anything unnecessary behind here and let's get going. I know the way to the old palace, so I'll guide you there.'

'How did you figure it was here?' said Emeth.

The knight had turned away already, but he stopped. 'Because this was the capital of the Old Empire,' he said quietly. 'Glast Heim.'


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Valkron was impressed by the way the party didn't even flinch when he said the words. All they did was stare at him. Then Iruna pulled up her blindfold to cover her eyes again and stepped forward. 'We're doing it.'

'What made you think we were going to run when you told us the name of this place?' asked Samaroh indignantly.

The words were barely out of his mouth when there was an eerie howl from beyond the gates. It rose to a yowling screech before sinking back to a mournful moan that resonated in everyone's ribcage. It brought to the mind images of the most gruesome things that lurked behind the walls of the ruins of Glast Heim.

After a while valkron said innocently, '_Still_ coming?'

Samaroh swallowed and said, 'Yes.'

'Nothing's going to stop us, not even that,' said Eni, although Valkron knew she was afraid.

'Very well.' He drew his sword and untied the scythe from his peco's side. 'Let's go.'

As they stepped towards the gates Valkron's peco honked at them. He turned back and looked at it. 'Stay there, Evlor. I'll be back. I promise.'

The birds watched their riders disappear in between the black gates along with their friends before sitting down, anxiously waiting for their return.

* * *

Argath looked up at the ceiling of the underground cavern. Around him darkwings fluttered and twirled like a stream of black water, feeding off the dark magic he emitted.

'They're here,' he said quietly. 'Do you hear that, my friends? Do you smell their rank human scent?'

The darkwings chirped shrilly and broke their flowing pattern to surround him. Argath closed his eyes and smiled.

'Welcome them.'

* * *

If the cities around Rune-Midgard had become empty and desolate, Glast Heim was even more so. Abandoned for more than a hundred years and entered only by the bravest adventurers, it was a place no one would go to unless they had to. Most of its grand architecture was still left in place by their previous occupants, displaying the true skills of the builders from the Old Empire. In its heyday it would have been the grandest city in the world. Not even Juno could be compared to it, had it still existed in all its full glory.

But as it has been said many times, pride comes before a fall. The emperors had been far too proud of the kingdom they ruled. Their empire had spanned even further than the current Kingdom of Rune-Midgard, into the unknown lands far beyond the borders. They had tamed the wildest tribes, the most remote countries and the long trade routes that spanned around the world. Because of this they began to treat the empire as a thing for gaining wealth. Eventually the reputation of the empire plummeted as emperors like Ilham Vedlavin ascended the throne and began mercilessly defeating the other countries with their five thousand strong army. It was then that the people realised that their beloved home was no more than a slaughterhouse.

As Valkron waited for the others to make their way across the fallen buildings that were strewn everywhere he reflected on this. He had read most of the history of the Old Empire to know that Emperor Ilham Vedlavin had been the last straw for the residents. He had prevented them from running from the empire. As a result the Fair Wardens had come into existence, and with the help of the people they had overthrown the emperor and declared the destruction of the empire.

The knight wondered about the Fair Wardens. Their leader had been one of the ruthless knights under Argath Iruvedla, but he had risked his life to betray the empire and ultimately bring its downfall. He was also immortalised as the man who killed Argath during the Ri'dhalv Uprising, when the Fair Wardens led a charge against the palace. Six men had died at the Blood Judge's sword before the leader had charged in and fought. In the end the Blood Judge was dispatched, the emperor surrendered and the time of the Old Empire was over.

He looked towards the north of the city. In the distance he could still see the remains of the palace, its towers now jagged spikes and its walls covered in ivy and creepers, and felt a chill run down his spine. How long had it been since he had fought in the grounds itself, trying to keep wraiths from escaping from their ghostly prison?

There was a shriek from Eni. Valkron turned to see her beating off large whispers swooping down at her, giggling as they watched her frantically wave them off.

Emeth aimed his staff at one of them. White bolts thundered down onto it and with a long, mournful whistle it dissipated into a white shroud, which fell to nothing. The other whispers caught the hint and zipped off fairly quickly before Emeth could hit them again.

'Thanks,' said the alchemist breathlessly, brushing her hair out of her face. The wizard gave her a look, but said nothing.

'If you're done,' called Valkron from where he was, 'you'd better get a move on. We need to get into the palace before any other monster comes for us, and I don't doubt more will come.'

The rest hurried up to him, and they made their way with him after that. It seemed very quiet in the grounds apart from an occasional whisper or so, but Valkron knew once they stepped into the palace they would have a hard time.

They were halfway across when all of a sudden two creatures swooped out of the skies. Arrows rained down onto everyone. Iruna made a swiping motion with her sword, and white light surrounded the members of the party momentarily.

Nocturne aimed a single arrow at the two gargoyles. As they fitted arrows into their bows his arrow flashed. He fired up into the air; the gargoyles dodged it and snickered. They fired at him.

When the arrows hit him it was Iruna who cried out. But her strength held; she drew a cross of white light in the air with her sword and sent it at the two of them. As they shrieked arrows rained down from above. One of the gargoyles received an arrow in the eye; the other received one straight through the soft folds of its bat-like wings and fell. Emeth darted forward; an earth spike finished off the creature.

The other gargoyle was still screeching in pain. Khan unsheathed his katars and sprinted forward. He ran up to Nocturne, leapt onto his shoulder and then was speeding into the sky. One, two quick slashes, and the creature was put out of its misery.

'Odin save us...' Eni gasped at the back.

They turned to see a great black horse standing in front of them, tossing its head and pawing at the ground. Great puffs of steam emitted from its dilated nostrils. It gazed at them with its red eyes. Astride its back was a masked and armoured man, carrying a heavily stained and faded flag and a massive longsword covered in bloodstains.

It was Samaroh who moved first. In one move he had cast Blessing, Angelus, Increase Agility and Signum Crucis on the party. They felt their senses sharpen.

But the priest wasn't done. Impositio Manus and Aspersio followed soon after. Then it was a quick dealing of Lex Divina and Lex Aeterna at the abysmal knight. As the horse reared, shrieking in pain, Samaroh hastily cast Suffragium on Emeth and then pulled out a small shimmering blue stone from his pocket.

He held it out into the sky between his palms. The stone began glowing white, before it flashed and shattered. A few seconds later a mighty cross materialised in the air and slammed down on the abysmal knight.

Emeth took this as his cue. As the knight nearly slipped off his steed there was a very short pause before massive pillars of lightning struck the ground where the horse was standing. Right after that great spikes of earth erupted from under the horse's hooves, and then a massive blizzard broke out above it.

Out of the magical mixture the abysmal knight charged, swinging his ridiculously long sword. Valkron met it with the scythe; the crash of blades colliding echoed loudly through the city. At the same time Iruna drew another cross of white light and sent it at the rider.

Valkron charged with the scythe. The abysmal knight was shoved backwards for a few metres when the scythe hit the horse's armour. The spirit raised its mighty sword, but Valkron had already shoved the thing even further.

All the while his other hand had kept whirling his sword. As soon as the mounted knight had recovered the humming sword hit it. The blow sent the creature into what was left of a wall; the horse whinnied in pain.

Valkron sensed something happening behind him. He whirled around to see a great wave of darkwings make a beeline straight for them. He drew breath to shout out a warning--

Samaroh pulled out another gemstone and held it high. As it glowed white and began to dissolve into a white mist around him he threw it into the air.

There was a burst of a white light. The ground under their feet glowed white. They were surrounded by it--

Iruna plunged her sword into the ground. The great white cross materialised above her head and slammed into the ground--

There was an almighty rumble, before the ground shook violently beneath their feet and gave way.

* * *

Sagna and Edell were riding across the Prontera Fields to Geffen when they felt the ground shake beneath them. Their pecos honked in distress and nearly tripped over their taloned feet; luckily they were Chivalry pecos and therefore were trained to keep their balance.

'W-What was that?' asked Sagna shakily, gripping his reins so hard that his fingers were digging into his palms.

'Don't ask me that, I have no idea.' Edell looked around at the desolate, white barren forest around them. 'Where did that come from?'

'I'm hoping it's not the spell above us.'

'Idiot!' The crusader gave him a cuff on the ear. 'Don't say things like that! I'm getting worried already with trying to valkron, there's no need to add to the burden!'

'Sorry,' said Sagna, rubbing his ear gingerly.

Edell turned his head towards where he though he had heard the sound. 'I guess we can't do anything now,' he said quietly.

'What do you mean?' asked the knight.

'I mean that it looks like Valkron's reached wherever he intended to go.' Edell turned to look at Sagna. 'We can't go there on our own, it'll be far too dangerous.'

'But it's Glast Heim!'

'They're probably fighting now. Valkron wouldn't want a couple of novices to fight their way through just to try and back him up, and he wouldn't want to waste time trying to rescue them either. I suggest we wait.'

'Wait for what? He needs backup!'

Edell closed his eyes. 'I'm not a crusader without a good reason, you know. I believe that Valkron can accomplish what needs to be done. Something tells me that we should just believe in him and put our faith in the gods. There will be a sign that will tell us when we can go and aid him.'

Sagna gaped at him. Finally he said, 'You seem very sure of this.'

'I _am_ sure of it,' said Edell. 'There will be a sign.'

In his personal opinion Sagna felt like it was far too outrageous to happen. But he knew how dedicated the crusaders were, and that most of them - especially Edell - had solid, unshakeable beliefs.

'Right,' he said at last. 'I'm going to take your word for it, but if it doesn't happen and we all die I'm going to make sure I fight and kill you every day in Valhalla.'

* * *

The abysmal knight surveyed the gaping hole in the ground. Then it pulled at the reins and turned its horse around, trotting off to where it had come from. The sound of the horse's hooves faded into the distance.

After a while the howling wind filled up the city again. It swept dust and debris into the hole that had once been where the party stood.

It was not very deep. It seemed to have collapsed into the underground levels - most likely the first one. There was a massive pile of rock and soil all over the place.

A rat scrambled up to the pile and scratched around in search of food, squeaking as it did. Suddenly soil exploded upwards right in front of its nose. It squeaked in fright and scampered down quickly as a dirt-stained hand groped about.

Gradually the pile of soil crumbled to reveal a very dirty knight. He coughed as he clambered out of the pile and scrambled down before it could collapse under his feet. Once he had reached stable ground he steadied himself before digging around.

Emeth climbed out of the mess, shaking his red hair free of dirt. Slowly, one by one, the Raulus party regrouped.

'We look a right mess,' said Samaroh, dusting himself of the dirt.

'Well, for someone who has an idea of trying to consecrate an ancient, desecrated land,' snapped Iruna, untying her blindfold and shaking it to get rid of the dirt that had stuck to the cloth. 'Don't ever do that again, Samaroh.'

'Sorry.'

Valkron looked at the others. They were just as dirty as he felt. Eni stood shivering next to her brother. He felt sorry for her.

'Where are we?' she asked, looking about her nervously.

'I think we're in the culverts,' said Emeth, looking around as well. 'The algae and the broken pipes give an obvious clue.'

Around them there were plenty of what he described and more. Water was dripping from the long strings of algae. Valkron wrinkled his nose at the smell of decomposing vegetation.

'Well, we'll have to go,' he said. 'It should be here, somewhere.'

'The portal might be in the palace,' said Khan, tightening his mask.

'Most of the roof's gone, Khan,' said Emeth. 'No one would summon a portal where everyone could see it. The main purpose is to keep it hidden.'

Valkron turned to look behind him. The Raulus party, faces stained with dirt, nodded at him as one.

They began a long walk through the first floor of the culverts, towards where the signboards on the walls pointed to the lower floors. Once again although the culverts were known to be teeming with monsters they did not meet many, apart from the occasional gargoyle, arclouse and whisper, which they dispatched easily.

The second floor of the culverts was also oddly empty. There were even less monsters running around this floor. Valkron was starting to get suspicious but he did not voice his thoughts. He knew that the others would be observant enough. There was no need to point it out.

The third floor was completely deserted. Valkron finally gave up and stopped the party for a small rest.

'How's everyone?' he asked, as Samaroh got about to healing the cuts and bruises they had received from the fall. There was no time for him to bring out his usual ointments and herbs, so he simply used his magic.

'Fine.'

'Okay, so far.'

'All right. Why do you ask?'

'Well, I've been thinking about this,' said Valkron, gesturing at their surroundings, 'and I am constantly getting nagged by a feeling.'

'Is it because of the lack of monsters around the place?' asked Emeth.

'Well...yes.'

'I have no idea about that as well. I figured there would be plenty here.' The wizard scratched his head, causing dirt to fall off his hair. 'Most of my friends like to come down here and hunt monsters. They always tell me there's lots, and that they give some nice loot if you know how to get the items from the dead bodies. But this is too quiet.'

'Too quiet to be comfortable,' remarked Valkron.

'Could I say something?'

The two of them turned to look at Nocturne. He stepped forward, his sister hanging off the back of his sweater in a bid not to get separated from him.

'I've been hearing things from behind the walls of the culverts,' he said. 'I don't know what they are. Sometimes it's like rustling, sometimes it's like voices.'

'It might be the vengeful souls that still haunt Glast Heim,' said Samaroh.

Emeth shook his head. 'I don't think so. There are no souls in Glast Heim.'

'What?' Everyone turned to stare at the wizard.

'I'm not too sure, but I haven't been feeling a lot of spiritual energy around anywhere.' Emeth shrugged at the blank looks. 'I have a hunch that the spell up there is the one absorbing all souls into it.'

'Why would it suck up souls?' asked Khan, frowning.

'Souls are a source of life force,' answered Iruna, before anyone could speak. 'The portal probably needs life force to keep it going, so the spell, which appears to be functioning without the help of Argath, sucks up souls and transfers the energy to the portal, maintaining it.'

'Why do you all know so much?' groaned Valkron, his head in his hands. 'I'm like an ignorant idiot walking with you in Glast Heim.'

'It's just magical education,' said Emeth. 'Cheer up. Not everyone receives it.'

'Yeah, well, even I didn't notice the sounds from behind the walls,' said the knight.

'Still, you should know _something_,' said Samaroh.

'The only thing I can say is that I suspect most of the monsters have gone to kill the refugees in the cities at Argath's order. That's the reason why the culverts are empty.'

'Hm...I didn't think of _that_,' said Emeth thoughtfully.

'You're just trying to be nice to me,' retorted Valkron sourly. 'Let's keep walking. We need to get down to the fourth floor. If there isn't anything there we'll get to the palace instead.'

'A bit of a waste of time, don't you think?' said Iruna.

'We need to find out where the portal is, all right?' snapped Valkron. 'Come on! Stop telling me what to do!'

As they resumed walking Valkron reflected on this. He was getting snappish, but not because his initial plan of going into the culverts was going wrong. He knew he was going the right way. It was just that it wasn't turning out as he had expected.

Somehow he could feel something in his mind. It was pulling him strongly down into the culverts. He let his mind sink with it. Where it went, he thought, would point him the way to the portal.

Soon they came to the stairs that led to the fourth floor of the culverts. Valkron set the torches in their brackets before taking one with him and walking down the staircase, his scythe in his other hand. The upper floors had been bright enough with their strings of luminous algae, but he suspected the fourth floor would not be so kind.

Halfway down the staircase, with the Raulus party edging behind him cautiously, he heard sounds from behind the walls. There were voices and other noises he tried not to think about.

'What's that rumbling sound?' said Nocturne, from behind.

Valkron put his ear close to the wall. At first he heard nothing. Then he realised the wall was vibrating, even though there was no sound. Nocturne had sharp hearing, which was necessary for him as a hunter.

Suddenly a thought struck Valkron. He turned back. 'Get back! Get back, all of you! Up the stairs!'

Bewildered and frightened by the panic in his voice they hurried back up the stairs. They had just reached the top, Valkron the last one, when the wall behind them erupted outwards and smashed into the opposite wall. From the gaping hole that leaked debris flowed a stream of monsters like a river breaking through a dam. Their horrible noises of screeching and yowling sent the Raulus party breaking to their heels almost at once.

They ran down the passages towards the stairs that led to the upper floors, too frightened to fight back. All they could think of was escaping the raging mass of monsters rushing in behind them.

They were nearly there when Amaru skidded to a stop. Khan nearly collided into his back.

'What the-- What's the problem at the front?'

'Monsters at the front as well!'

The knight swore. They were trapped; there was no way out between the two outlets. As the monsters advanced on them, snarling in anticipation of fresh meat, they huddled together, forming a tightly packed group in the centre of the circle that the monsters had made.

Valkron looked around. He could see the red eyes of every monster around them and their open, salivating jaws lined with teeth. It was not something he enjoyed looking at when he was busy trying to think of a way out.

But he had to figure out a way. The people around him were panicking far too easily. They had not been in this situation before. Well...there were far too many monsters for him to compare it to any of his situations, but then again when he battled against a mob he had been completely alone.

He tried to think. A way out...a way out...

Something throbbed in his mind. He clutched his head in a bid to stop it, but it just kept going on and on. No matter what Valkron did he couldn't get rid of the headache that was growing in his head.

_Valkron, you fool! Listen to what it's trying to tell you!_

It was pulling him down. He couldn't think of anything in relation to it.

'You're...not...helping...' he muttered under his breath.

_You're not that dumb, Valkron! THINK!_

It was pulling him down...and down…and down...

Valkron opened his eyes. That was it! The way out was the way down!

He straightened up and shouted above the snarling sounds. 'Samaroh! Cast Sanctuary!'

'What?'

'Cast Sanctuary!'

'We'll fall through again!'

'Just do it!'

Although he knew Samaroh was probably thinking he had gone mad he also knew the priest wasn't the sort to disobey. In a few minutes a bright white light shone above the heads of the party and the ground glowed as a white mist surrounded them.

Valkron felt the cooling sensation of the healing spell before the ground under their feet shattered and they fell through.

However, Samaroh must have done something. The knight was sure he had hit the ground below them, before the other floor actually collapsed beneath their weight. he began panicking at that moment.

_What was I thinking?_ he thought, as they fell once more. _There is nothing under the fourth floor except for the world of the undead._

But as he fell he knew it couldn't be true. His inner self would not have told him the clue if it had been of no use to him or to anyone else. It had been his way of life. He had done whatever his inner self told him to do, and it had never gone wrong.

Valkron hit solid ground, and this time it did not give way beneath him. He gasped as air left him. Winded as he was he saw Nocturne about to fall upon him, and quickly rolled away.

The debris and dust settled around them as they picked themselves up from the floor and out of the pile of dirt. Above them the monsters that had been about to attack just before Samaroh's spell had destroyed the ground decided that it wasn't the worth the long jump down and moved away from the hole after giving them particularly malicious glares.

'You could have stayed where you were to cushion my fall,' said Nocturne to Valkron, dusting his clothes.

'What, and get me crushed? No thanks.'

'Better than a crusader falling on you.'

'Where are we?' said Emeth.

Valkron looked around them. They were standing on a floor of solid stone. Unlike the slime-covered, cracked floor of the culverts this place was relatively dry. Valkron looked around at the smooth walls around them, illuminated by lighted torches in brackets, and wondered where they were.

'Eurgh,' said Emeth, covering his nose with his gloved hand. Valkron looked up at him.

'What's wrong?'

'Can't you smell it?'

'No, what is it?'

Emeth coughed a little. 'Dark magic.'

No wonder Samaroh was looking sick as well, the knight thought. He was right. The source was from under the culverts.

'So...are we going to walk straight on?' quavered Eni.

'What other choice do we have?'

Still dusting themselves the party moved on. The place they were in was a room with no doors except for an opening in one wall. This was what they walked through.

They came into a long passage. The walls were made of smooth slate bricks with cleanly applied mortar between them. Torches lined the walls here too, lighting their path ahead of them. Oddly there was almost no rust on the brackets that held the torches.

Valkron reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers against the wall as he walked. He had a nagging feeling that the wall wasn't there at all, and yet he was feeling its smooth surface through the thick leather of his gloves. His brain was beginning to reject the idea that the floor wasn't there either.

_We're in a place that's not here_, he thought. _And yet it's here, stone and everything._

_Of course_, replied a calm voice in his head. _Argath wants to restore the Old Empire, doesn't he? So he's turning back time to a point in space where the Old Empire once existed. A brief period between the time it was at its height and the time it fell._

That should be about right. But it still felt unnerving for him to know that they were walking through a place that had once existed a long time ago and, in theory, didn't exist right now.

'I don't recognise this place,' said Samaroh, his voice echoing down the passage. 'I've read about Glast Heim and been on expeditions to this place, but never did any book or person mention that this place existed.'

'I have a feeling I know where this came from,' said Emeth, 'but I'll tell you when we get out of here. I just want to confirm my guess.'

Valkron stopped in his tracks. 'Hang on. Talking about confirmation, I want to make sure that everyone's here. Emeth?'

'You heard me just now,' said the wizard.

'I'm just making sure. Samaroh?'

'Here.'

'Khan?'

'Present.'

'And alive, no doubt. Nocturne?'

'Here!'

'Eni?'

'Definitely here.'

'Iruna?'

'I'm standing right beside you, valkron,' said the crusader reproachfully.

'Sorry. Amaru?'

'Here,' answered the deep voice of the blacksmith at the back.

'Okay, we're all here.' Valkron turned on his heel and walked on.

The passage seemed to go on endlessly. valkron kept looking for a light at the end, a door...anything that would mean the end of the passage. It was like a dream.

Suddenly the passage opened out. Valkron blinked in the orange light that filled the passage, which had opened out to become a large room. This room was missing a wall, so it was like a ledge jutting out above an even larger chamber.

The party walked out onto the ledge and looked down.

Emeth said, 'I knew it.'

'Knew what?' queried Nocturne.

'I was right about this place.'

'And what is it?'

Emeth jerked a thumb at what was below the ledge. 'This was where the emperors tortured their prisoners by setting them in this place.'

'You're _joking_,' said Samaroh, a few minutes later.

'Do I look like I am?'

There was silence at this.

'No,' breathed Valkron. 'The maze of nightmares.'

'You're spot on,' said Emeth.

Everyone stepped closer to the edge to look into the tangle of walls and winding passages that was the feared, ancient labyrinth of the Old Empire.

And then the floor under their feet cracked.

They looked down at the floor. They looked at each other. They turned to run.

The floor...collapsed.


	34. Chapter 34

Before I would like to say anything, this chapter is incredibly long and the most full of action in this fanfic. And it should be.

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Chapter 34

The fire burned somewhat damply in the dark forest of bare trees. The two shadows sitting around it were no less despondent.

'Sitting around waiting for this "sign", as you say, is not really very satisfying.' Sagna sighed. 'I'm getting cold and wet and tired. There's no way I can sleep in snow.'

'Just put up with it,' said Edell dismissively. 'We all had to do our endurance training.'

'Not in this situation! Sub-zero conditions? A spell ready to rip the world hovering above us? You've got to be kidding.'

'Do I look like I am?'

There was silence.

After a while Sagna got up from his seat in the snow and went over his peco. It was lying in the snow, already in a snow hole it had made for itself. He sat down and leaned his back to the bird's feathery body.

'Wake me up when the sign comes, will you?'

'Yeah, whatever.'

As Sagna felt himself sink into sleep after a week's journey of endless riding and searching, he felt the ground shake beneath in his feet. But he disregarded it. It was nothing remarkable.

It was not a sign.

* * *

In the underground caves of Glast Heim there was utter silence. Then someone erupted from the large pile of debris in the maze, spluttering.

Another person burst out. 'I'm telling you, I didn't do anything!'

'Oh yeah? You're the one who cast Sanctuary!'

'I didn't do it this time! You know that!'

'How would I know? You were behind us!'

'Still! I only have a limited amount of energy!'

Another person burst out of the pile. 'Will you all stop making a damn ruckus? You'll be waking up the spirits with all the noise!'

'Frankly, I'm amazed you two can argue so loudly in this place,' said another figure, emerging from the shadows. It leaned the tip of the shield it was wielding and adjusted its sword girdle. 'Well, Valkron?'

'Yeah, let's get going,' said the knight gruffly, climbing over the debris. 'If this happens, one more time...I swear--'

'You'll do absolutely nothing,' warned Emeth, waving his staff at him. 'Now is not the time to argue.'

Valkron had to agree. At this rate they would waste too much time. The only thing they could do was go on.

'Before we go on I want to do a head check or ensure that everyone's all right,' said Valkron, turning around. 'That fall was nothing to laugh at. I'm sure I've got a bruised back from it. Emeth?'

'Here,' said the wizard, waving his staff.

'Iruna?'

'Valkron, I'm here.'

'I just said I'm checking, all right? Samaroh?'

'You just argued with him,' said the priest sulkily.

'Shut up. Nocturne?'

'Here!' called out the hunter, jumping over the piles of rock.

'Khan?'

'All right on this end.'

'And all in one piece? You don't have to answer that. Amaru?'

No answer.

'Amaru?' Valkron looked around. 'Where the hell are you? Amaru!'

There was no response. Alarmed, the others began to spread out, calling for the blacksmith's name. But as they called they could not deny the inevitable truth.

Valkron stopped in his tracks. There was no way the blacksmith was around by just calling. He might have escaped the fall, or maybe injured somewhere else. Whatever had happened to him...was up to the blacksmith now.

As he stood there mulling over his decision he became aware of a voice shouting quite loudly and drowning out the rest. He turned to see Khan scrabbling about the pile of rock quite desperately, like a dog seeking a bone buried somewhere.

The rest had stopped shouting in astonishment. Now they were watching him silently as he searched frantically for the blacksmith.

Valkron went up to him. 'Khan.'

The assassin looked up at him. In the shadows cast by the lit torches around them his face was hidden by his sakkhat. 'What?'

'We'll have to go on without him.'

'What?' Khan seemed taken aback by this suggestion. Then he growled audibly. 'No. I won't leave him.'

'We have to. We don't have a choice.'

'I said I won't leave without him, and that's final!'

Khan's words echoed through the labyrinth. The party stared at both of them in silence. Valkron had not flinched from where he stood.

After a few minutes the knight put his hands on the assassin's shoulders. 'I understand,' he said quietly.

'No, you don't!' snarled the assassin. 'What do you know about us? Nothing!'

'Hold it there, Khan--'

'No, _you_ hold it there! You keep intervening into our lives and into our private affairs! You say you understand but you don't! What's it to you other than achieving your own means?'

Valkron tightened his grip on the assassin's shoulders. 'Khan.'

'For everything in the world you just keep going on and not caring about others! What do you think we are? You keep treating us as if we're not human! Did you know that?'

Valkron closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'Khan. All right. I admit it. But you told us everything about how you found Amaru. From then on you were his best friend, weren't you?'

This time Khan stopped. He stared at the knight.

'We'll go without him. All we can do is hope that he will find us, or we'll find him eventually.' Valkron opened his eyes. 'You do believe in him, don't you?'

'Yes,' said the assassin, his voice trembling.

'Then believe in his strength. Let's go. We'll find him, sooner or later.'

After a while Khan reached up and removed his sakkhat. He looked utterly depressed. 'All right. I'll come.'

Valkron lifted his hands off the assassin's shoulders. 'Come. We've got no time left. The spell might rip everything apart every moment now.'

* * *

Somewhere else, not far from where the Raulus party stood, a small pile of debris shifted aside to reveal a blackened blacksmith. He coughed as he got to his feet, using the nearby wall as a means of support.

After a while he straightened up and looked around. In one hand his axe rested against the floor; slung around his shoulders was his mighty hammer. He had brought nothing else for the ride.

Amaru checked that everything was still in one piece and then looked around at his surroundings. He seemed to be in a completely different section of the labyrinth that spanned Glast Heim's bowels, and he was alone.

He walked forward a few steps and then hesitated. The path he was walking didn't seem right. He turned around to head another way, and as he did he heard voices calling his name.

He listened carefully. It was the party he had been with all the while, and he was sure of that. The sounds seemed to be coming from nearby - maybe just a few walls away. He hooked his axe over his shoulder and purposefully headed in the direction of the calling.

Amaru turned a corner and came to a stop. There was a dead end in front of him. He tried another passage and came to another. Another path he took led him further and further away from the sounds, until he could hear them no more save for one - the voice of his friend.

'Khan?' he said to himself. The name seemed to stir hope for him. Immediately he set out towards it, seeking its source, hoping to find it soon.

But he met with dead ends, over and over again. He was getting desperate. The only time he had ever been lost was when he had been a child, a long time ago. It was Khan who had led him out of the darkness and taught him how to trust people again. Now his lamp was gone and he was stumbling in the dark once more, relighting his old fears that had lain dormant in him for years.

'Khan?' he shouted, in a bid to attract attention. 'Khan!'

But there was no answer. There were no voices calling for him now. He must have wandered too far.

Amaru pondered his next plan of action. Would he dare venture into the maze alone and find the way out for himself? He took a look down the remaining passages he had not tried and decided against it. They were too dark and threatening.

The blacksmith turned back and traced his footsteps. The passages seemed endless, the corners making him giddy. After a while he realised he had seen the same walls over and over again, and he knew he was lost.

There was one thing Amaru had feared all along. It was an old nightmare, and for him to tell the others - even Khan - was embarrassing. It was the fear of getting lost, like he had been before. Anything could happen.

Panic seized him. Amaru tried to calm down, closing his eyes and taking in deep breaths. _It'll be all right_, he told himself. _They'll come and find me. They will. Especially Khan._

However, as the time wore on it dawned on him that no one was coming, or no one could find him. The creature that was panic seized him by the throat. He couldn't breathe; his throat was constricting and he was shaking.

This was not good. He could not afford to panic in a labyrinth. Who knew what would be out there?

There was a sound. Amaru looked up, temporarily jolted out of his panic attack. His hands gripped the handle of his axe as he straightened up, looking around warily for any monster that came out of the shadows, ready to pounce on him.

It came out, and it did pounce. But he never saw a thing. The last thing he remembered was a dark shadow covering his eyes, and then a surge of incredibly acute pain that knocked him cold.

* * *

The labyrinth was utterly silent apart from the sound of footsteps caused by an assortment of shoes. Not for the first time Valkron wished that they could move quieter and just at the same speed. There had to be compromises, however, and he knew there was nothing they could do about it.

They had chosen a straight path into the labyrinth. It wound sharply here and there until it forked.

After a few minutes of quiet discussion Valkron took the left path. They walked down it again, keeping a wary eye out for anything unexpected. It came in the form of the path branching out into three.

Valkron once again discussed with the others. They were not too keen on walking right. Nocturne had been in several dungeons where a maze had been built, and he had found his way out by using what he liked to call "the left hand rule". It simply consisted of placing the left hand on the wall and following it.

'Are you sure that kind of thing works here?' said Eni, looking up at her brother. 'This maze was built by people with sick minds.'

'I wouldn't disagree with that,' replied the hunter. 'But it is a rule that all mazes were somehow built with, no matter how crazy the architect. I tried it in all the mazes I came to and it worked all the time.'

'Maze builders must be incredibly stupid then, or incredibly oriented to the left,' said Emeth. He turned to Valkron, who was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 'What do you say?'

The knight leaned backwards to peer around the corner at the left path. They were grouped at the mouth of the main path. After a minute or two he straightened up and said, 'I think we should take the right.'

'Why?' said Nocturne.

'Because the left doesn't seem to be leading anywhere. I know I may be saying nonsense,' he added, seeing the hunter open his mouth, 'and you might be right for all I know, but it's what my instinct's telling me.'

Nocturne shut his mouth. Then he opened it to say, 'I may have to listen to that.'

'Why? Isn't your theory more believable?' said Samaroh.

'I respect instinct more than intelligence,' explained Nocturne. He was promptly answered by an indignant 'Hey!' from Emeth.

Valkron waved a hand. 'We'll go right this time, and see what happens. Come on.'

He turned and headed down the path to the right. As he walked he kept an eye on Khan. The assassin without his sakkhat looked less mysterious and more human. He could see that the man was not in any mood to talk.

_Amaru was the only one who didn't talk to me_, he thought. _Well, neither did Nocturne or Eni or Iruna, but from their behaviour it was easy to tell. Amaru...just didn't talk or act out of the ordinary. At all._

Maybe that was the danger.

_A bit late to realise that, isn't it?_ said a voice in his head.

_Shut it, you_, thought Valkron angrily. _We'll have to take things as it comes. There is no such thing as being able to anticipate the unexpected, no matter how well-versed you can get in human nature._

There was silence after that. Valkron kept walking, wishing that the long passage of smooth stone would end, when he came to a stop.

'What is it, Valkron?' said Iruna, from behind.

Everyone peered out from behind him. What met their eyes was a large space where six passages branched out.

'Okay, which one are we taking?' said Valkron, half to himself.

Everyone looked at each other. There was certainly no talk of using any rule here, and certainly instinct was being thrown off balance by the number of choices it had to make.

Eventually Nocturne said, 'Why don't we all split up? When we find the right passage we could get the others to come down our way.'

'I was thinking of that,' said Valkron quietly, gazing off into space, 'but then can you define "the right passage" to me?'

The hunter blinked in response to this.

'I have a feeling,' continued the knight, 'that someone wants us to separate. Someone is leading us down the correct path, but it has led us here and it wants us to separate in order to go on.'

'So we stick together?' said Eni.

'I'd rather be lost and with a group of people than walk down the right path and be alone,' remarked Valkron, still surveying the six passages.

'We're never going to find it at this rate,' said Nocturne. 'It's best if we split up. That's the practical--'

'No!'

Everyone jumped. Valkron was taken aback. He hadn't meant to shout.

'No,' he repeated, this time quietly. 'This may be a trap. All we have to do is trust ourselves and move on together. Which passage does everyone vote for?'

A few minutes passed. Then Emeth put his hand up. 'Middle. Straight on, if it's hard to see which is the middle.'

Slowly everyone put up their hands too. Valkron counted them mentally and nodded. 'Let's go, then.'

* * *

Somewhere else, someone who was watching said to himself, 'Very clever, Valkron. You saw through the plan straight away. I'm impressed...but it's not enough.'

* * *

They made their way towards the passage straight ahead when, all of a sudden, there was a heavy rumble from above. Everyone looked up.

'Samaroh?' said Valkron. 'Are you messing about again?'

'What? Stop accusing me, will you--'

There was a crash that drowned out the rest of the priest's words. Valkron looked up and shoved Iruna out of the way. Seconds later stone and soil thundered down onto them, shaking the ground and sending dust into the air.

Valkron coughed and waved the dust out of his face. The place seemed to be falling apart even more and more as time passed. He had a feeling, however, that when the spell unleashed its power upon the world the labyrinth would rise to become part of the empire as it had once used to. He couldn't get comfortable with such a horrible structure being part of the world again.

The dust began to settle. The knight looked up. A massive pile of rock that filled the place from top to bottom blocked his view of any of the other passages and the rest of his party. The only way to go now was the one behind him - and the wrong path he had suggested they take.

He frowned. Only one of them would be taking the right path - well, maybe two, since there were seven of them. And it probably wasn't the right path, but he wasn't going to bank on that.

Valkron exhaled quietly. The pile of rock looked thick. There was no way anyone could hear him through it. He had to go on alone.

With a last glance at the wall and feeling worried for Iruna, he stepped into the passage.

He walked for a while. There were no other forks or branches in his path, for some odd reason, and no monsters. He was starting to feel unnerved, but he kept his sword unsheathed and walked bravely on. There was no turning back.

Once or twice he thought he heard voices, but then there would be a cold wind sweeping through the place and blow it away. He wondered why there was a wind. This was underground, wasn't it? Unless they were already dead and the spell had ripped the world apart, resurrecting the Old Empire.

Valkron turned a corner, trying to rid his mind of such thoughts when he looked up to see a swordsman standing right in the middle of the passage he was walking along. He stopped and stared.

The swordsman stared back at him. 'Who are you?'

There was definitely no mistake. The angry, deep green eyes, the bushy white hair and the perpetual defensive stance.

'You,' said the knight.

'Nonsense! You can't be me!'

Valkron realised that at his age he had certainly not imagined himself being a knight. He had had quite a pessimistic outlook on his life and he had believed that he would die at an early age. For someone who had spent most of his life in misery you couldn't expect much.

'I am you,' he said. 'We have the same hair and eyes.'

'So? It doesn't mean we're one and the same person. You could be my grandfather for all I know!'

Valkron considered this. It was true, but he knew and believed strongly that it was him. He was staring at himself.

'I _am_ you,' he said, trying to stay patient. 'I'm just...an older version of you.'

The swordsman stared at him until he began to feel a little uncomfortable. Then the boy folded his arms across his chest. 'And what am I like at your age?'

'I don't know. A lot...worse.' Valkron couldn't help himself.

'What? A lot worse than now?'

'Well, yes, I admit it.'

The younger Valkron gave him a glare he recognised. It was the sort of glare he gave his students when they weren't up to his standards.

'I wonder what I really live for,' said the boy. 'You know that? I was hoping I'd die and then that would be the end of my wretched life. No friends, no family, no one to be with. I mean, what's the point of being alone? There's nothing you can learn from it other than being independent.'

Valkron was trying to find out if this was part of his memories at all. he was sure he had not thought about this...but then, it might have been a background thought he had ignored over the years.

'Hey! Are you listening?'

But it had got a lot better over the years, hadn't it? He had a reputation people wanted to live up to, and now he had friends. The thought warmed his heart. He knew he had made the right choice in letting those people interfere with his life.

The knight looked up at the swordsman. 'You'll live alone for longer than you think,' he said quietly. 'But one day you'll find friends you won't regret having. Friends you can trust.'

'Oh, yeah,' said the swordsman dismissively. 'And all the while you keep thinking, "Why don't I have a better past so that I could have socialised better with them in the first place? They existed before!"'

At this Valkron was shocked. He had been thinking about it all the time! How did his younger self know?

The swordsman drew his sword. 'I don't see why I should have a future like yours,' he said. 'Best to finish you off now and get a new one for myself.'

'Wait, you can't just--'

'Oh, yes I can!'

Blades crashed in the silence of the labyrinth. Valkron swore. It was either die at the hands of himself or kill his younger self.

_That's a good idea_, whispered a thin voice in his head. _Get yourself a new past. You can forget about everything and socialise with your new friends. They mean more to you than anything else, don't they?_

That was the trouble. Valkron had often wondered about the value of friendship to the value of survival. The two concepts didn't seem to fit together, in his opinion. Should he give up his past for a new life, or should he let his future re-walk itself out? He hadn't been happy about himself for a long time.

_Calm down. Think. You need to decide this fast, but if you panic you're going nowhere._

That was all very well, but he was fighting. He could not afford to lose concentration now.

For some odd reason the younger Valkron was quite strong and could easily parry and throw off some of Valkron's swipes at him. The knight did not intend to kill him but with a heavy sword he had to use with both hands it was not easy either. Eventually he switched to his scythe and defended himself.

'Come on! What kind of knight have I become?' said the boy fiercely, swiping out at him.

_This is a total nightmare_, thought Valkron. His head was still trying to decide, and his inner self was not helping. It was the hardest decision he had ever had to make.

Valkron lunged out with his scythe. The boy was thrown off his feet; he landed not far off on his back a few minutes later, ahead of a trail of dust.

Valkron stood over him, breathing hard. He had no wish to die. That was his sense of survival. He had never let anyone decide his life for him. It was his and by right his to manipulate.

The swordsman looked up into his eyes. Valkron looked back. And then he knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to kill his own past.

The swordsman must have seen him hesitate. In a flash he was back on his feet. The blade of his sword plunged deep into Valkron's left shoulder, and the knight cried out in pain and shock. The boy pulled his sword out, and Valkron fell to his knees, clutching his shoulder.

'I shouldn't have missed,' said the boy in disgust, stepping back. 'But I'll give you one last chance, to make this fight fair. Come on, have a go at me.'

Valkron stayed where he was. The _plick_ of blood dripping from his shoulder echoed in his ears. 'No.'

'What?'

'No.' The knight looked up. 'You have the right to get rid of me. I don't have a right to kill my own past. I don't see why I should run from it.'

The swordsman stared at him for a long time. Then he said, 'You...don't want to get rid of your past?'

'It's best if I give you a second chance at making a better future for yourself, anyway.' Valkron shook his head. 'I don't think highly of myself and what I've done. Go ahead.'

There was silence for a few minutes longer, and then the sound of a sword hitting the ground. The swordsman too fell to his knees.

'You're right,' he said. 'I _am_ running from what I can't face. If you don't have the right to get rid of your past, then I don't have the right to get rid of what's going to happen. Even if I do...what are the chances of me living it all over again?'

Valkron stayed silent. This was where he could not intervene. Time was something that no one could interfere with.

_'In due time,'_ his teachers used to say, _'in due time you will learn why everything has happened to you.'_

It had been his most important advice. It had been the reason why he still had hope in life.

When he thought that it was as if his mind had been freed from a lead weight pulling it down. The swordsman in front of him dissolved away, but not before he saw the boy smile. He knew then, that once, long ago, he had thought of dying and getting rid of his existence but then remembered those words and knew there was no other way except forward.

* * *

Iruna had been forced down another path. Like Valkron she was travelling hers alone, and had no idea that the others were alone too. All she had was to hope to find the rest, especially Valkron.

She was worried for him. Although she still couldn't bring herself to trust him fully she still cared for him. _Someone has to take care of the leader sometimes_, she reflected.

The crusader rounded a corner, feeling the walls with the tips of the fingers of her right hand. She still had her blindfold on, but it was proving difficult to sense her way around a a labyrinth that was saturated with dark magic.

Her metal shoes clinked against the stone floor. Then the clinking stopped.

She raised her head, trying to discern the presence in front of her. It felt vaguely familiar...no, it _was_ familiar...Valkron!

'Valkron?' she called out. 'Is that you?'

'Yeah, it is,' came the answer.

Heartened greatly by the sound of his voice she hurried forwards, her one intention being to feel his presence close to her again. They met somewhere in the middle of the passage, when she nearly ran into his chest.

'Whoa, slow it. What's wrong?'

'Huh? Oh...nothing. I'm just glad to hear you again.'

'So am I. I've been walking around this wretched maze trying to look for everyone else. Have you any idea where the rest have gone?'

'No, I didn't feel them anywhere around here. I don't know whether they're all right or not.' Iruna turned her head around as she tried to catch any presence of the others as she spoke, but she felt nothing.

'Oh. Why don't you take off your blindfold? It's already half dark in here, you won't want to make it darker.'

Iruna was only too happy to do so. As her blindfold slipped down her neck, still tied, she looked up into the steady green eyes she knew so well.

'How are we going to find the rest?' she said.

'I have no idea.' Valkron looked around. 'There was a fork just down the way I came, but I took this one and found you. I'm not sure if the other one would lead to anyone else.'

'Then let's go down there. Quick, before the spell above us does what it's meant to do.'

She was halfway down the passage when he called out, 'Iruna? Aren't you being a little too hasty?'

Iruna stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. 'What do you mean?'

'I wasn't too sure if they were the other way or not. There are hundreds of paths here. They could be down any of them. And besides,' Valkron looked straight at her, 'aren't you being a little too trusting?'

The crusader turned fully around so that she was facing him and walked towards him. 'What are you talking about? There's no other way we can find them if we just stand around here.'

'You really believe that I would help find them, would you?' said Valkron, folding his arms across his chest.

Iruna blinked. Then she frowned. 'Don't tell me you're planning to abandon them.'

'No, I'm not,' replied the knight. 'I wouldn't abandon them. But I've questioned why I like you. You know I'm not the type to attach myself to others.'

That was true, admitted Iruna in the private space of her brain. Why would Valkron like her in the first place? What made him like her anyway? She wasn't pretty - Valkron didn't go for looks, anyway - and she was not talented. She was just a crusader who had fallen from grace.

'And why is that?' she asked, her heart in her throat. Even if she felt ashamed of herself she was still looking for a man who would accept what she had done and look towards the future instead of stewing on the past.

Valkron shrugged, walking towards her. 'I don't know why I think that way either. I mean...I did like you. But suddenly I just wondered why, of all things.'

'You must have had a reason.' Iruna was slightly bewildered by now, but she didn't voice why. It was best if Valkron stayed ignorant of the difficult decision she had to make in choosing him or staying independent.

'I must have.' Valkron kept walking until he was right in front of her. There was where he stopped and looked down at her. She looked up at him.

'Maybe it's because I'd like to know how I love someone who doesn't trust me.'

The warm feeling in Iruna's heart shattered. Her eyes widened in shock. How had he known?

'It's strange to like someone who doesn't trust you,' said the knight, gazing into her eyes. 'Why don't you trust me, Iruna? You know _I_ do.'

Iruna tried to answer, but no words could come forth. She had never thought he would know.

Valkron sighed. 'So you can't tell me, then,' he said. 'But as a knight of the Mercenary Division, there is a law in which a crusader who does not trust must be sent to the Prontera Court immediately.'

'What?' said Iruna, not believing her ears.

'Since there's no one there now, it looks like the other part of the law comes into place.' He drew his sword.

'What? What kind of law is that? It's intruding into people's private affairs!'

'If you had noticed a long time ago, the laws of the Prontera Court have always interfered in the private affairs of its knights. I'm sorry, but I have to do this.' Valkron raised his sword.

Iruna blocked his sword with her shield. 'But, Valkron...don't you love me to disregard them?'

She looked into his eyes and immediately regretted it. His eyes were colder than ice, darker than night.

'No,' he answered. 'My duty is more important.'

Iruna had no choice but to draw her sword. As swords crossed she felt utterly alone and empty. She knew it - she had been right not to trust Valkron. However, her loneliness had accepted him almost immediately. She would have a hard time killing him now.

Something struck her in the mind just then. There was something else she had not noticed. Something else that she should have noticed before, long before he had started talking.

_Valkron is certainly detached and cold towards others. But when he says something he means it. This is not him. This person __**is not Valkron**_

The knight brought his sword down again. Iruna parried the blow and backed off. She had to think. If the person in front of her was not him, then who was he? And come to think of it, where was the real Valkron?

Not dead.

Iruna did something that she had not done for a long time, ever since her brother had died at the hands of the man who had lied to her. She prayed.

_Odin, I pray to you...show me the truth and let me fight for it. I ask you as a warrior of the light...a warrior of the world._

And then she lunged forward.

As the knight skidded backwards, she knew it wasn't him. The fighting style, the way he had spoken and moved...it was not him.

The crusader threw her shield at the impostor. Instead of dodging it like the real Valkron would have done he was hit square in the face. She drew a cross of white light and fired it at him. He screamed in pain.

It took less than a minute for Iruna to plunge the sword into his heart. Blood fountained out, but it was not red. It was black and stinking - just like the blood that ran all over Argath Iruvedla. As the body sank to the ground she straightened up with satisfaction.

She watched it bleed for a while before remembering that somewhere the real Valkron was probably looking for him. She flicked her sword to get rid of the blood before running the other way. In her heart hope had risen again, and the only person she could think of was Valkron.

Iruna rounded several corners before she came to a passage where someone was kneeling. Relief surged upwards through her. It was Valkron! He seemed to be kneeling in the middle of the passage and clutching his shoulder. It put her in mind of a newly inducted crusader swearing his servitude to the Order of Juno.

She hurried to him and knelt down beside him. His eyes were closed. Blood dripped from between his fingers. She recoiled in horror and then recovered, quickly putting out her hand towards his shoulder and focusing her energy on the wound.

White light surrounded the wound. As it did so the knight opened his eyes and looked up at her. They stared into each other's eyes until the wound was healed, and then, much to Valkron's surprise, Iruna threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. But he accepted it graciously, and hugged her back.

After a few minutes they separated.

'We've got to find the others,' said Valkron, his eyes assuming their worried, hardened look again. 'They might be around here somewhere, falling prey to--'

There was a distant scream.

'--their memories.'

'What kind of person plays around with other people's minds?' said Iruna disgustedly, getting up and helping Valkron to his feet.

'Someone who doesn't want us to live, obviously.' Valkron picked up his scythe.

* * *

It took some time, but eventually they had gathered the rest of the party except for Amaru. The others seemed to have gone through something extremely nightmarish - Samaroh had gone white and wasn't talking to anyone, and Nocturne and Eni were holding to each other so tightly it was hard to tell where one stopped and the other began.

'Come on, we've got to forget about what happened before,' said Valkron briskly. 'We've got a battle to fight. Samaroh, you've got spells to sing, so I would very much appreciate it if you would shake out of that state and talk. Please. I'm not trying to be sarcastic.'

The priest nodded shakily.

'No sign of Amaru yet, Khan?' said Valkron, turning around to look at the assassin.

'No, and stop reminding me, you idiot.'

'Ah, sorry.' Valkron looked up at Emeth, the other person who had not spoken so far. The wizard looked like he had seen something he would not forget in a hurry. Valkron decided to leave him to it.

Silence descended upon the party as they walked onwards. It was as if a bond linked them, a bond that did not need words to convey. With this strengthened bond they moved forth to the exit of the labyrinth.

They stepped out of the labyrinth, feeling the relief surge through them. In front of them was not a long passage but a great pair of doors, runes carved across them in large script. The Raulus party exchanged looks and nodded. They set forth towards it.

But then their relief and joy was short-lived. Someone stepped out of the shadows and turned to face them. Someone with hair like a paintbrush.

Aldev.

* * *

Sagna tightened the girth belt of his peco. He tried to be as quiet as possible. Edell was fast asleep on the stomach of his own bird, finally given in to the demands of his body.

He looked up at the dark skies above. The spell seemed a lot nearer and larger than it had been before. He could see every twist and turn of the cruel script that was written in between its circles. It was still rotating and pulsing. He felt sick at the sight of it and turned away so that he would not look at it.

After a while he got down on his knees. He felt slightly embarrassed that he was doing this, but he felt like it should be done. He looked over his shoulder at Edell. The crusader seemed to be fast asleep, his regular, deep breathing accompanied by large puffs of vapour.

Sagna bowed his head and prayed. He prayed for the world and the people. he prayed for both of them to achieve what they had to do before it was too late. And above all, he prayed for Valkron and his party to win.

When Sagna had finished and was deep in slumber, Edell opened his eyes slightly and smiled.

* * *

The party stopped in shock at the sight of the monk. He did not look like the apologetic man they had met several weeks before. There was a murderous look in his eyes and they could feel a threatening aura being exuded from him.

'Aldev...' said Valkron. Then his eyes widened.

'It's not over,' said the monk. 'Not over yet.'

'Valkron killed you!' burst out Samaroh, shocked from his silence. 'What...What are you doing here?'

'Me?' The monk laughed. 'Just as I expected. Ignorant fools. I don't die that easily.'

'But still...'

Emeth looked at Valkron. The knight was staring at the monk as if he'd just realised something, his eyes wide open in evident horror.

'I've died once, but after that I never did.' A malicious grin spread across the monk's face. 'Not even when your so-called leader plunged his sword into me. Unbelievable, isn't it? Look at your faces! I could laugh.'

'You...you're just a manifestation of Argath and the emperor, aren't you?' said Valkron. He seemed to be barely breathing.

'That took you long enough to work out,' said Aldev.

'What? How did you know?' asked Samaroh, turning his attention to Valkron.

'Reverse his name,' was the answer.

After a few minutes Samaroh said, 'What? I still don't see it--'

'Vedla,' said Emeth. He too was staring now. 'Remember the Blood Judge and the emperor? Argath Iruvedla and Ilham Vedlavin.'

The monk threw back his head and laughed. Suddenly the party realised that the shadows around them were growing, creeping towards them.

'You asked me if I was a real monk,' said Aldev, pulling on his gloves. 'Now you get your answer. And, by the way, even if you defeat me you still have two more obstacles that will stand in your path so hugely you'll be short of men once you reach the portal. Turn back, and you might be spared that.'

'What, shortage of men from death or injury?' snapped Valkron.

'You choose,' answered Aldev. The blue spirit aura of the monk was starting to surround him.

Valkron drew his sword, but it was Khan who leapt forward, katars out. 'You coward!' he hissed between his teeth. 'I'll never forgive what you did to Amaru!'

'Khan!' shouted Valkron, but it was too late. The assassin viciously lunged at Aldev. The monk, laughing, whirled out of the way, the blades of the katars missing him by inches.

'Let the fun begin!' he shrieked madly.

Khan took a deep breath and rained blows on Aldev. The monk twisted and danced out of the way, a horrible grin etched across his face. Then, as Khan drew breath for another attack, Aldev launched a punch into his face.

The assassin flew backwards and landed on the floor in a crouching position. Blood was running down his face where the sharp knuckles Aldev had armed himself with had hit. His eyebrows met in the middle of his forehead and he leapt forward again. Aldev took a running jump and met him in mid-air.

There was a screech of tortured metal. Khan swiped out at Aldev. The monk hit away one of his katars and sent it sliding across the floor to a wall, where it shattered. The assassin kicked out twice at the monk and sent himself backwards. He crouched low and then darted forward.

The monk grinned. Khan was barely two metres away from him when Aldev kicked out at him. He scored a hit on the assassin's face and sent the man flying.

But Aldev was not finished yet. He took a deep breath, soul spheres appearing around him as he concentrated. Then he absorbed one. His outstretched palm glowed with blue light before he slammed it into Khan about a hundred times. Valkron winced at the blows.

The assassin landed sprawled on the floor. He picked himself up, growling audibly under his breath, but then he coughed and blood splattered all over the floor.

'Khan! Stop it!'

But the assassin was being driven by pure rage. In one second he had gone from sight. Aldev's hands shot out and a blue ball began circling around him. Khan came into sight, and lunged out, catching the monk's throat and sending him crashing downwards into the stone floor.

Aldev laughed and slammed his unarmed fist into Khan's nose. There was a sickening _crack_. The assassin leapt off and skidded away, clutching at his bleeding nose.

'How was that?' asked the monk, his bloodshot eyes mad and staring. He cracked his knuckles. 'And how about more?'

Khan swore and unsheathed two daggers. He lunged straight for the monk, his blades glowing purple. As the others watched in shock his blades rained blows on the monk's chest, harder and faster until they were just a bright purple glow.

There was a flash of light. Khan hit out with all his might. There was an almighty _boom_ as the speed of his final blow broke the sound barrier. The monk was flung away.

'Go, Khan!' shouted Eni.

But Aldev was more difficult than they thought. He somersaulted in the air and, as he reached the wall opposite, kicked off. He was so fast that when he turned over in midair he was already where Khan was standing.

The assassin received a mighty kick in the chest. Aldev grabbed his arm and pulled him towards himself.

'Enjoying it so far? 'Cause I am!'

The monk blurred. He was raining so many blows with his palms that the force was overcoming gravity. Khan was gradually rising into the air. Then the monk finished it off with a hit straight in the chest and a kick that slammed the assassin into the ground, so hard that the stone cracked.

Dust settled. Aldev straightened up, his grin one of insanity. He gazed down at his still opponent.

'Who's next?' he announced, turning to face the others.

Valkron gripped his scythe. There was no way he could do this without the others. Khan had already proven that.

'Working together, everyone?' he asked.

'You've got us,' answered Emeth.

Samaroh sang quietly behind him. Light surrounded Valkron. He felt his sense heighten and charged. Behind him Emeth was already summoning his energy together. Iruna drew her sword and charged as well, running alongside Valkron. Nocturne fitted arrows into her bow and aimed.

Despire his strength Aldev was certainly not prepared when six people, all of different professions, moved in on him. He disappeared under a fiery strike by Valkron, a massive blizzard by Emeth, and a rain of arrows from above. Iruna sent her shield into him as he went down.

But he was still pretty tough. He leapt up again and aimed for Iruna. She held up her massive shield, which glowed momentarily with white light, before he hit it. Although she skidded backwards from the impact she was unscathed.

Valkron ran up to Aldev's back while he was trying to force his energy to break the shield and whirled his sword. When the humming was at its loudest he struck. The black, stinking blood was incredible and he had to restrain himself from holding his nose as the horrible fluid splashed all over him.

There was a shout. Iruna and Valkron looked up, and then broke to their heels in opposite directions. Aldev looked up. They saw his expression before seven massive pillars of lightning crashed down onto him. It was immediately followed by a green marsh and then a huge earth spike erupting from the ground and throwing him into the air.

Nocturne followed up Emeth's attacks. He drew back his arrow, and as he did it flashed with light and glowed. He fired it swiftly. It buried its sharp head into Aldev's left upper arm and exploded. Seconds later an entire arm landed in front of the party.

Aldev landed on his feet, slightly unsteady. He looked at the bleeding stump of what used to be his arm.

But it wasn't over. As soon as he had looked up from it the handle of an axe landed on his head. Eni swiped at him, ripping through his clothes as she got closer and closer. He snorted with scorn and kicked her out of the way, only to reveal white lightning heading straight for him. It hit so hard he was sent backwards.

'Eni, get Khan out of the way! We'll deal with him!' commanded Valkron.

Emeth slammed the end of his staff into the ground. A massive ball of lightning formed almost immediately in front of him. With a short bellow he shoved it straight at Aldev. It engulfed the monk in its crackling energy.

Valkron could feel his legs shaking, but his tiredness disappeared when white light surrounded him again. He looked behind and saw Samaroh doing a mass heal. This was not as easy as it looked, because he knew the priest was concentrating his energy at all of them. Considering they were spread far apart he admired Samaroh for being able to reach all of them.

Aldev charged forward, still with his bleeding stump. His foot touched the ground four feet away from them, and there was a bright flash of light as Nocturne's trap went off.

'Good one!' shouted Valkron, seeing Aldev paw at his eyes. The light had temporarily blinded the monk. He charged forward and brought his sword down on the monk's head, putting all his strength into the blow.

There was a long scream. Everyone dropped their weapons and clapped their hands to their ears. It echoed through the labyrinth and faded away long after the body of the monk had disintegrated into nothing.

Valkron swore, wincing as the scream rang in his ears. 'Right. Let's get on.'

'But what about the doors?' said Samaroh, looking dishevelled.

As an answer Emeth pointed his staff at the doors. They were wide open.

'It's as if defeating each obstacle we come across would open the next level for us,' grumbled Eni, hefting her axe. 'I'm getting tired of this, I've had enough of games.'

'We'll have to end it anyway,' said Valkron, leading them into the next room.

Once again they stopped. Once again they stared.

Samaroh, who was carrying Khan, whistled. 'It's a good thing Khan's out cold.'

Standing in front of them was Amaru. His hammer was slung over his shoulder, his axe in his hands. Before him the shadows reached for the party, their greedy talons stretching towards them.

'Right,' said Valkron. 'Samaroh, get Khan away from this. We're fighting seriously and together. Don't _any_ of you dare to attack when it's not the time to.'

As the priest moved off Valkron tapped his sword on the ground. 'I'm going to say this once,' he said, 'so you'd better listen. Amaru is not the one fighting. Someone else is controlling him. Whatever you do don't injure him.'

'Easier said than done,' muttered Emeth.

Amaru grasped his axe. It glowed with golden light. Valkron charged.

When their blades met with an awful crash Samaroh sang once again. Emeth ran forward as well, along with Iruna. Nocturne spotted a ledge not far away from where they were fighting and leapt up to it, nimbly scrambling on and fitting arrows into his bows.

The battle was more compact this time. Valkron had adopted a hit-and-run strategy with Aldev, where those capable of close combat had only attacked when they had the opportunity and those of long range had the advantage. Now he had adjusted for melee, using his experience to block and defend himself form Amaru's attacks. As he did so he tried to snap the blacksmith out of his trance.

'Amaru, for Odin's sake!' he shouted, trying to throw off the blacksmith's axe, 'it's us! The Raulus!'

But the blacksmith did not listen. He slammed his axe into Valkron's sword, so hard that the knight was thrown off his feet. Iruna caught the hard blow on her shield instead, before Emeth could get hit.

'Get his back, Emeth!' she shouted.

The wizard was there before she had finished yelling. His staff hit out. Amaru turned and shoved the end of his axe handle into the wizard's solar plexus.

Nocturne concentrated, his hands on a trap. Then he quickly unhooked it from his belt, swiftly stuck a talisman on it and threw it at the ground. The stone floor swallowed it up. Minutes later, as Amaru moved over it, the trap went off and immobilised him.

The blacksmith looked up. Nocturne tried to figure out what he was thinking, but by then it was too late. Ten thousand zeny hit him straight in the face and he promptly fell off the ledge he was perched on. He landed with a thud on the floor.

Eni charged, her axe upraised. For a woman of such small build she fought exceedingly well with Amaru, blocking with her own axe as he attacked her with his. He was still immobilised, but she could see the effect was wearing off.

She swung, hard. He swung back.

Her axe shattered under the blow.

The alchemist leapt back to avoid another swipe. 'Damn it!'

'Get to the back, Eni!' shouted Valkron.

Iruna cast her Holy Cross. Amaru seemed slightly dazed after the cross hit him, but it did not stop him from hitting out at her. She swung out her shield in front of her, and felt the metal shudder as the axe blade bit into the thick shield.

Valkron brought the hilt of his sword down onto Amaru's back, hoping that the blow would not kill the blacksmith. However, the blacksmith spun around and gave him a punch in the face. The knight staggered back, his vision blurring from the impact.

Amaru's axe was still stuck in Iruna's shield. She reached up and pulled it off, and while the blacksmith was punching Valkron threw it aside. When he turned back to face her she gave him a roundhouse blow.

'That's for hitting Valkron,' she snapped, as he staggered.

'No time to get revenge, Iruna!' shouted Valkron, hefting his sword. 'We've got to knock him cold!'

But try as they might Amaru was completely resistant to any hard blow they gave him. Valkron glanced at the motionless Khan as he backed off, trying to take a rest before he attacked again. If only the assassin was awake...he would have solved the problem by now.

Just then Samaroh ran up to him. 'Valkron!'

'What is it?'

'There's only one way that can stop Amaru.' The priest looked unsure of himself. 'I don't know if it'll work, but it's the only idea I have.'

'As long as it works and doesn't injure him anything will be fine,' said Valkron. He thought over this and then added quickly, 'Tell me what it is, I'll consider if it's dangerous or not.'

'Exorcism,' said Samaroh.

Valkron stared at him. Then he said, 'Do it!'

'I need backup!' called out Samaroh, as the knight turned and went for the blacksmith again. 'Buy me some time and get out of the way when I tell you to!'

As Valkron battled fiercely again he couldn't help wondering if Samaroh was going to use the spell he had mentioned before - the Ultima Magna Exorcisma. By Church laws it should be forbidden, but now who was there to forbid them except the gods?

Amaru had pulled out his hammer by now. Iruna's shield had been badly dented by it and she was finding it difficult to wield it properly. She got rid of it and continued fighting, but Valkron could see she was getting tired. Emeth was still unable to get up after getting hit by the axe handle, and Eni was out of the battle. Nocturne was nursing a dislocated shoulder from his fall. If he was right Samaroh had healed it, but now only he and Iruna were left to fight Amaru.

The blacksmith slammed his hammer into the ground. The sound temporarily deafened Valkron, before the shockwave threw him off his feet. He struggled to get up again, sharp needles of pain shooting through his chest. He might have broken a rib or so.

Iruna healed him quickly, giving him some of his energy back. They backed off, watching Amaru warily as he watched them. Compared to the raving insanity of Aldev his emotionless face and silence were unnerving.

'What's Samaroh doing?' asked Iruna.

Valkron looked at the priest. A magic circle had lit up around him, rotating quite fast as he gestured and sang under his breath.

'Buy him some time. It might work.' He looked at Iruna. 'Go!'

The crusader took off. Amaru was caught unawares by her sudden charge, but he rallied and brought up his hammer to meet her sword. As the two fo them tussled together Valkron sheathed his sword and picked up his scythe from where he had laid it.

Amaru had probably not expected it, but Valkron was impressed that he could still block the scythe as it had spun towards him. The scythe ricocheted off the hammer and flew back to Valkron, who caught it. He gritted his teeth. Amaru was proving to be a tough opponent - even tougher than Aldev.

Suddenly his head jerked towards Samaroh. The singing had stopped. The light around Samaroh was illuminating the whole room, and his blonde hair was flying out in the gale of power that was whirling around him.

The priest opened his eyes. Everyone looked at him, even Amaru.

Iruna threw herself out of the way and so did everyone else. It was between Samaroh and Amaru now.

_'ULTIMA!'_

A massive, even larger circle slammed down around Samaroh.

_'MAGNA!'_

There was a glimmer from above him. A circle appeared above his head, spinning as fast as the ones below.

_'EXORCISMA!'_

A mighty cross slammed into the ground where he was standing, its longest arm with Amaru at the end of it. Then a pillar of light shot upwards from the ground from beneath Samaroh's feet and broke through the ceiling above, bringing down large chunks of earth and stone all around the room.

There was an explosion. A ring of light erupted from the pillar and expanded rapidly. Valkron felt the force of the pure white light shove him backwards. But he did not expect the beam of light to fire out of the raging pillar of white fire and hit Amaru head on.

The light blinded them all. Seconds later the explosion that followed threw all of them off their feet.

Then there was silence.

* * *

Sagna and Edell were clearing away their things and packing them properly when something similar to an earthquake occurred. They had to hold on to their pecos as the ground shook hard.

'What the--' began Sagna, but Edell cut him short.

'Look!'

Sagna turned to see where he was pointing. There was a pillar of white light not far in the distance, reaching up into the dark clouds above. As it did the clouds parted to let the light through, creating rays of light shining down.

'That's it! That's our sign!'

Sagna wasn't so sure, but the urge to reach Valkron overrode his thoughts. He mounted his peco. 'All right! Let's get to Glast Heim!'

* * *

Valkron coughed as he got to his feet. Around him everyone was getting up, dusting themselves and wheezing as the dust settled around them. Amazingly enough it seemed that no one had been injured by any of the falling debris that lay around them now.

He looked up. Samaroh was still standing, and so was Amaru. Both looked incredibly still and were still facing each other. It was as if nothing had happened.

The first one who moved was Amaru. He fell to his knees limply, dropping his hammer on the way. As his head hung Eni shrieked, 'Samaroh!'

Everyone turned to look at the priest, just in time to see his book fall to the floor. He followed a few seconds later, collapsing like a piece of wet paper.

Eni and Iruna ran over to him. The alchemist reached him first and turned him gingerly over. Iruna came up behind her as she did.

'Will he be all right?' she asked the crusader anxiously.

Iruna knelt down and felt for his pulse. She checked him for a while and then said, 'He'll be all right. It's just exhaustion. He must have summoned every ounce of his energy to cast that massive spell - as it is, he's still a healer, not an exorcist.'

Nocturne joined them. 'Looks like we've got another one down.'

Valkron joined Emeth as they walked towards Amaru. Their weapons were still out and they were approaching him cautiously. They had good reason to.

In the silence the blacksmith looked up at them blearily. From his eyes they could tell he was normal now.

'What happened?' he asked.

Valkron and Emeth looked at each other. Then the knight sheathed his sword. 'A lot,' he replied.

Amaru blinked. 'What? What do you mean, a lot? Why are you all...' His voice trailed away as he focused on what was happening behind the two of them.

The two of them waited as the blacksmith got to his feet, trembling. He was no doubt in shock over what had occurred within the hour or so. His breathing came short and fast like that of a man trying to control himself as he surveyed the fallen debris, the hole in the ceiling and the casualties.

Khan.

Amaru buried his face in his hands. 'Oh, gods...tell me what I did. Please.'

'If you're referring to Khan, that wasn't your fault,' said Valkron. 'If you're referring to Samaroh, he did that of his own free will. Don't blame yourself.'

'I should,' said the blacksmith, his voice muffled. 'You tired yourselves out to make me come to my senses. If I hadn't resolved everything in the first place nothing would have happened.'

'If nothing had happened this would be the most boring journey ever,' said Valkron dryly.

'Don't cry over spilt milk,' said Emeth, throwing his arm around Amaru's shoulders. 'Wipe it away and pour yourself another glass! Oh, and make sure you don't spill it again,' he added, seeing Valkron's expression.

'Right. Nice analogy.' Valkron turned. 'Oi! Come on, we've just got one last thing to do!'

'But what about Samaroh?' called back Iruna.

'Eni stays here with Khan and Samaroh! The rest of you come with me! There's fighting we have to do here, you know!'

As Eni and Iruna turned away to discuss this bit of news Valkron turned back to Emeth and Amaru again. Nocturne was making his way to where they were standing, but judging by the piles of rock he would not be reaching them for some time. 'Let's go. We've got a job to finish.'

Amaru looked away. Valkron felt sorry for him. 'Amaru,' he said, his tone softening, 'if you still think you're at fault, there's one way you can redeem yourself. We're going to destroy the portal, and you'd better be there.'

* * *

The ground shook and snow flew into the air as the pecos' taloned feet thundered. Sagna and Edell were riding their birds at full run, and they could see the open gates of Glast Heim ahead.

'It's too far ahead!' shouted Sagna, over the wind. 'Will we make it in time?'

'We'd better!' shouted back Edell.

Above them the spell began to descend on the tallest tower of Glast Heim.

* * *

With only five people left after the battle and their supporter gone Valkron admitted that he wasn't feeling too confident of himself as they made their way through the third door. He'd be damned if there was still more fighting that would take out more of his party.

But when they walked into the next room Emeth reeled back and choked. Valkron caught him before he fell. 'Emeth!'

The wizard was shaking badly, his eyes wide and staring. As Valkron watched in horror they began to glow golden.

'Oh my...' said Iruna, staring up.

In front of them was a massive ring of stone. It was just a ring. Anyone could have passed through the hole in the middle...

...if it wasn't filled with a noxious purple gas that twisted and swirled in the middle.

It was flanked by two great pedestals, upon which large purple glass orbs glowed, pulsing. They too were filled with the same purple gas that swirled around.

'That's the portal?' said Nocturne, his tone one of disbelief.

'Yes, it is,' said a familiar voice from the shadows. 'My creation.'

Argath Iruvedla stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing his elaborate black armour, his massive black sword in one hand.

At the sight of him the remaining party members except Emeth drew their weapons. The Blood Judge laughed.

'I'm impressed,' he said. 'Which is commendable, because I have never been impressed with the humans of the present. You saw through my plans and broke through my defences, all set up to stall you. And yet you overcame them together. Wonderful.'

He walked towards them. They bunched up, watching him warily.

'But if you had died on the way here I would have been so disappointed,' he said softly. 'Because then I wouldn't be able to have some fun with you personally.'

'We're not here for you to play with, Argath,' said Valkron.

'I know. But do you think I would let you?' A grin stretched across his face. 'By the way, Baphomet did not have the power to fully remove that curse from you. There will always be a trace of it left in your blood, and ne day...one day, when you become like me, you will die soon after.'

'I'll never be like you,' said Valkron.

Argath's smile widened. 'You say that now, Valkron, but don't forget - I have the power to the see the future. I know what I'm talking about.'

'Stop this portal now,' said Iruna.

The man raised his eyebrows. 'Or else? I told you, I am not going to allow you to stop it. However, I've decided that I will let you have a _chance_ at it.'

He swung out his sword and aimed it straight at Valkron. 'That is, if you defeat _me_ first.'

Valkron sheathed his sword. 'Fine. But you fight against the scythe, not the sword.'

'Fair enough.' Argath seemed to be thinking of something. He looked somewhere else for a moment, and then looked back. 'Out of curiosity, Valkron...how did you know that Aldev was not human?'

'The rage your mark stirred up in me gave me clearer sight that I have ever had,' answered Valkron.

Argath did not seem the least bothered by this. 'So you knew he was there to taunt and discourage you?'

'During that time, obviously.'

The Blood Judge closed his eyes. 'If you had given in to your weaknesses, you would have become the most powerful man in the whole world.'

'What? And let that thing in the portal enter me? No thanks.' Valkron hefted his scythe. 'Power isn't half of what I found on my way here, Argath, unfortunately for you.'

'Which is?'

Valkron waved his hand at the people standing behind him. 'It's right in front of you.'

The Blood Judge chuckled, although it wasn't a very nice one. 'Shrewd of you. You would have made a good candidate for the throne if you hadn't rejected such a wonderful gift for something so small.'

'It may be small in your eyes,' retorted Valkron, 'but it wasn't for me.'

'I see. So will it help you in _this_?'

Valkron barely blocked the massive black sword. As he strained against the weight he heard the others behind him back off.

Suddenly there was a rumble overhead. Valkron looked up and sped away. A blizzard broke out where he had been standing a few seconds ago.

The knight spun around to see Emeth with his staff upright in the air, magic whirling around him. His eyes were glowing, staring emotionlessly into space.

'You still want to cheat?' said Valkron, turning to Argath. 'Isn't it enough for you?'

'I'm not the one controlling him,' said the Blood Judge dismissively. 'He is but a pawn in the game. I have no use for him.'

Valkron stared at him, and then looked up. In the whirling mass of gas overhead he was sure he had seen something distort the gas - something like a soul of a person.

Emeth hit the ground with the end of his staff. Valkron had to run again before the wizard's Lord of Vermillion hit him. Now he was too far from Argath to take a quick blow - unless he threw his scythe.

Suddenly Nocturne and Iruna sped past him. The hunter skidded to a stop and fired his glowing arrow at one of the glass orbs flanking the portal. There was a loud _ping_ and the arrow stuck in the glass.

Iruna threw her shield at it. It scythed through the air and hit the orb Nocturne had fired at. There was an awful cracking sound.

Valkron realised that both of them were _trying_ _to destroy the portal_. But Argath must have realised the same thing as well. He turned and plunged his sword into the earth. Two deep chasms opened up and ran along the ground towards where the two were.

The crusader turned around and plunged _her_ sword into the ground. A white cross materialised in the air above her and slammed down, its tip ending where Argath stood. The holy magic forced him down and stopped the two chasms from reaching them.

Meanwhile Amaru was trying to stop Emeth. The wizard was now fiercely battling him, but it was difficult to stop a blacksmith who knew how to dodge a wizard's spells, and equally difficult to stop a wizard who could cast spells so quickly.

Nocturne fired two arrows at the orb. There was another cracking sound. Iruna sent a white cross at it and it began to crumble.

'Come on, Nocturne!' shouted Iruna. They were standing on either side of the orb they were attacking, and it towered twenty feet above them.

Nocturne nodded once and aimed another glowing arrow. He concentrated, putting in all his strength into charging it. Then he fired,

The glass orb shattered. The hunter whooped, but it was only for a second or two. The next minute a long, thin clawed hand of purple gas shot out from the portal and knocked him off his feet. Iruna blocked another blow from it with her shield, but the gas corroded a long groove right across the metal.

Valkron swore. The emperor's soul in the portal was certainly not going to let them attack the other one now. He quickly leapt forward and ran for it, but Argath blocked his way.

'Not so fast, Valkron!' he laughed, as their weapons met with a mighty crash.

Valkron fought furiously, trying to find an opening to get the Blood Judge; anywhere would do, even a small one. But the Judge was not a knight for nothing. He parried and blocked every difficult blow Valkron dealt him, and executed even more difficult ones that the ordinary knight was finding hard to figure out. He only managed to block those in the last minute.

Argath brought his sword down. Valkron swung his scythe up. The blades met, and bit into each other as both knights tried to force each other to give.

'You have good strength,' said Argath. Valkron gritted his teeth. He had no time to talk. The man moved as if everything was so easy and he seemed to be pressing down with absolutely no effort. On the other hand, it was taking Valkron every bit of strength he had to keep Argath from crushing him under the serrated edge of his black sword.

Suddenly something hit Argath from behind. The Blood Judge stumbled and nearly lost his footing as Valkron took a swipe at him, but he moved fast. Valkron found himself facing Argath several feet away, and Iruna had just caught her shield.

'Valkron! Look out!'

The knight ducked. Fire zipped over his head. He felt the intense heat pass over him and ruffle his hair as it did.

'Emeth, you idiot!' he shouted, not caring that the wizard was deaf to them. 'Can't you see it's _us_?'

Emeth fired another powerful bolt at him, narrowly missing Valkron. Just then Amaru whacked him across the back of the head. Hard.

The knight turned to find Argath almost upon him. Cursing himself for his lapse in concentration he swung his scythe back up and knocked the sword away. Argath coolly brought the sword at him again, and Valkron defended himself quickly.

Nocturne fitted another arrow into his bow and aimed at the second orb.

'Nocturne! NO!'

The clawed hand hit the hunter in the chest and threw him into the wall. A long, torturing scream of anger came from the portal, and _something_ that looked horribly like a thin, bald man threw itself forward, out of the portal. It seemed to be chained to the gas within the portal by its waist, but its overly long, bone thin arms and equally skeletal structure made Iruna recoil. It opened its mouth and screamed again, twisting itself as if trying to break the bonds that held it back.

Iruna had no choice but to back down. As Argath attacked Valkron again she turned on him as well, swinging her sword around towards his back. Apart from a glance to the back he did not show any sign that he had noticed her...until he swung his sword up and deflected Valkron's lunge before swinging it over his shoulder and blocking Iruna's swipe at him.

And so the three warriors danced across the smooth stone floor before the portal, whirling and twisting as they tried to find an opening into their opponents' defences.

Valkron was getting tired. Argath's was heavy, and the Blood Judge obviously knew that, since he kept forcing down his whole weight every time their weapons hit. His arms were getting tired, but he knew if he rested just for one minute he would be dead. Even Iruna was finding it difficult to score a hit on the Judge.

Suddenly there was a rumble overhead. Valkron looked up into the face of a mass of red clouds swirling overhead. He immediately knew what was about to happen, but by now he was far too tired to run. All he felt he could do was keep on fighting. In his state Emeth could not recover.

But when meteors rained down onto them it was Argath they hit. Valkron had to back off, his arm shielding his face from the intense burning fire of the meteors. He looked back to see Emeth focusing all his power...

...onto Argath.

And his eyes were still glowing.

From behind the wizard Valkron saw Amaru give a thumbs up. He felt relieved, and nodded his thanks before turning back to the Blood Judge just as the storm finished.

'I see,' said Argath, straightening up. Smoke rose from him. 'So he's turned his anger against me. One of my weapons being used on me at this very moment.'

He looked at Valkron. 'The game's over. The spell is now above Glast Heim. You're too late.'

'What?' said Valkron, before the floor shook beneath him. The portal began to glow outwards with its sickening purple, and the soul within it twisted and screamed for freedom.

Emeth summoned his magic once again. A magic circle appeared around the orb. However, Argath pointed his sword at him and the wizard was flung off his feet, thus interrupting his spell.

Valkron and Iruna charged. Argath hit their weapons in one hard blow. Iruna stumbled backwards while Valkron felt the impact surge up his arm. The gonging headache that followed a few seconds later sent him reeling.

He looked up at the portal groggily. Argath was standing over him, his bleeding hair dripping everywhere. As Valkron tried to focus the man grinned.

'Time to say farewell,' he said softly, 'warrior of the world.'

He raised his sword.

* * *

Amaru had been watching all along. The wizard had regained consciousness but was still too dazed to get up and attack once again. Nocturne was struggling to get up, clutching at his ribs. Iruna was trying to decide if she should attack Argath and stop him from killing Valkron.

The blacksmith wished he could do something.

He grasped his hammer in fear. In one moment an image of Khan flashed through his mind, and he knew he had to do something. _Anything._

But what?

Amaru got to his feet, bringing up his hammer as well. He had no other choice. Even if they had to die trying...he would still do it. It was better than not doing anything, anyway.

He tightened his grasp on the handle of his hammer. Golden light began to glow from his hands, and spread out through the hammer until it was glowing brightly. He forced all the energy he could muster into it until the wood was vibrating under his hands.

Amaru took a deep breath, raising the hammer over his head. He willed it to create the most powerful effect and then swung it down.

The hammer crashed into the ground, sending a powerful tremor everywhere. It was what caused Argath to hesitate, as the ground shook under him and he nearly lost his balance. It was what caused great pieces of rock to fall from the ceiling onto the ground, smashing the pedestal where the broken orb had stood. But pieces of rock that headed straight for the other orb shattered when they were a foot above the orb, as if it was protected by an invisible shield.

Amaru frowned at this. But the spell was not over. There was a reason why he had mastered Hammerfall. It was a pretty good skill...if anyone knew its true purpose and what it could be used for.

The massive quake soon passed. Silence descended onto the chamber. Argath was just about to plunge his sword into the helpless knight at his feet when the second and last part of the technique came into play.

Massive ripples expanded through the air as an explosion rocked the chamber. The sound grew louder and louder, until one ring that spread out seemed to shatter the air, and there was a loud _boom_.

It was with this sound that the second orb shattered.

'No!' screamed Argath, but it was too late. The ring holding the portal cracked and then fell apart, smashing into pieces as it hit the floor. The soul within it screamed before a massive piece of rock was sucked right into it and crushed whatever it was in there. Seconds later the ring had folded in.

Valkron saw his chance. In one swift movement he had leapt up from the ground and hit Argath's sword away. The Blood Judge turned to him. The knight did not even give him a chance to react. In one swift movement it was over for the undead knight.

As something bounced across the floor before disintegrating into nothing, Valkron turned around. 'RUN!'

The party did not need to be told twice. They broke to their heels and ran straight for the doorway. Valkron knocked Emeth across the back of his head; the wizard came to his senses and ran as well. As the ceiling collapsed they disappeared through the door.

Behind them the portal crashed down, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

* * *

Eni watched Samaroh as the priest tried to heal Khan. It had not been easy. She had spent the last hour reviving him, and he still needed potions to help him regain his energy.

She still felt worried about him. Although he looked tired he had refused to rest until he had at least healed half of Khan's injuries...and that was not happening very quickly now. Every now and then he needed to take a break and relax, before he could begin healing again.

'Look, I know this is a particularly trying time for you,' said Eni, when Samaroh stopped again, 'but just stop it. Here, Emeth threw this to me before they went and told me to give it to you.'

She handed it to him, a large purple fruit the size of an orange. He took it from her gratefully and bit into it. The alchemist watched him worriedly as he ate, staring at nothing but empty air.

After a while he resumed healing. Even his most basic healing spell was hard to cast, for him.

Eni was about to offer him her help when she felt the ground quake beneath her. Unlike the few quakings that had taken place earlier this one did not stop. She got to her feet, worried, when she saw the five who had gone on ahead come running back.

'Eni! Get out of here!' shouted Valkron over the rumbling of the earthquake. 'This place doesn't exist anymore! _Get out!_'

Samaroh got to his feet and heaved Khan over his shoulders. As Eni turned he concentrated and swept his arm around in an arc. White light engulfed everyone for a few moments and suddenly they were running much faster than before.

'Come on,' he said, casting Increase Agility on himself.

The group soon came together as they ran out of the three chambers they had been fighting in. They came upon the labyrinth...but it was no more a labyrinth. It was just a large underground cavern with many passages leading away from it.

'That way!' called out Iruna over their heads. They saw where she was pointing - one passage had light shining along it. They hurtled headlong through it, Samaroh renewing his spell as he passed the others.

Behind them, almost at their heels, the passage collapsed, folding in on itself. It looked as if it was being crushed as they passed sections of it.

Valkron looked back over his shoulder. The passage would fall in on them if they did not run faster. With renewed vigour he forced himself to keep running and knew Iruna was doing the same. Both of them had the hardest time keeping up as they wore the heaviest armour of the lot.

They came out into the fourth floor of the culverts. Valkron did not remember seeing the passage they had just run out of, but he couldn't care less. The matter now was running, not looking around.

As they ran up the stairs to the third floor monsters sprang out at them snarling. Massive wraiths swooped down on them, baring their great mouths as they descended on the group. Samaroh's white magic erupted, lighting up the entire passageway. As wraiths screamed and flew out of the way to return to the relative safety of the darkness the party rounded a corner.

Valkron swore at the masses of monsters. 'Keep behind me!' he shouted, running forward.

Fire blazed, before Valkron broke through them with his blazing scythe. Everyone ran through without hesitation. They made it through the second and first floors before coming out into the courtyard of the capital.

Valkron sprang for the gates as soon as he saw them. Samaroh cast Increase Agility once again. Their surroundings became a blur as they sped past.

There was a mighty explosion that sent them stumbling and then tripping over their feet as the ground shook. Valkron rolled over just in time to see the ground they had been on erupt outwards in a fountain of earth and stone. The dirt rocketed sky high, but it wasn't over. The edges of the hole it had created began to crumble, and then break away. They stared as it widened, spreading towards them, revealing a yawning void down below.

Valkron got to his feet, still staring at it. 'What are you all doing?' he said, his voice echoing through the night air. 'Get going!'

With last glances at the hole the party began running again. The gates were still open. It was their last chance. They ignored the monsters rushing out of their hiding places, charging straight towards them. The earlier they were out of the city the earlier they would be far away from the creatures.

There was an awful howling through the city. The hole was swallowing up monsters, sucking them in like a monstrous, greedy whirlpool. Valkron tried not to think of it and forced his legs to run. There was no time to take a breath, no time to stop, no time to help the others. They had to run, and run they did.

There were piles of debris in the way. Amaru had taken Khan from Samaroh and was running ahead of everyone else now, leaping over the piles of rubble like a mountain goat. Behind him were Nocturne and Eni, and then Samaroh and Emeth, and then Valkron and Iruna.

The gates seemed a long way off. Valkron could feel his head spinning as he ran. His legs were screaming for oxygen, but there was no way he could stop and rest. The hole was right at his heels - he could feel the draught of air it created as it sucked down everything that had the misfortune to be around it. It was close enough to keep Valkron running but fortunately for him it was not close enough to suck him down.

But he could feel it, all the same - the emptiness behind him, the gaping hole as it pulled everything in and became bigger and bigger. If they got to the gates he knew it would not go over them - as it was, even the city of Glast Heim had to comply with the rules of the world. None of anything related to it could extend past its boundaries. besides, the ground was collapsing because the maze that had been built underneath it was disappearing to the time it belonged. Glast Heim would replace the floor with the normal culverts, but first they had to get out.

This was one of those times when he hated himself for being so calm inside his mind.

Amaru had reached the gates and had literally thrown himself out between them. Nocturne reached them as well and helped his sister through them. Minutes later Samaroh leapt through them like a cat on hot bricks, and Emeth followed.

'Come on, Valkron!' shouted Iruna. 'You can just make it!'

Valkron tried to believe he could. He had run this hard before, dozens of times. Hadn't he lived through them every time he had? he could do it this time, there would be no doubt about it, this was nothing compared to what he had been through...his legs were on fire, his mind was in hell, his body was beginning to weaken, he definitely wasn't going to make it.

'VALKRON!' screamed Iruna. She was through. Her hand was stretched out for his. He willed himself, leapt forward to take it...

...and missed.

Iruna's scream began to fade as he fell, his eyes wide open. He hadn't made it. He was going down into the void, into the past where he would see the Old Empire again--

And then a hand caught his wrist.

'Not so fast, sir!'

Valkron looked up. He was dangling over the edge of the hole. As he had estimated it had not gone past the gates of Glast Heim, but it was pulling him in. He could feel his grip starting to loosen as it sucked him in, grasping for him--

Another hand grabbed the hand that was holding his. 'Pull! Someone help us!'

Valkron looked up...

...into the eyes of Sagna and Edell.

Emeth appeared and grabbed the younger knight's waist. Iruna got hold of Edell. Together, slowly but surely they overcame the great force of the void and hauled Valkron out of it. He scrambled up as soon he was out of it and threw himself through the gates, panting for the air he had needed the most. His legs were so weak he could barely stand.

Another explosion rocked the ground. Valkron looked up and saw great pieces of rock shoot into the air until they were almost small bits. Then they fell, getting larger and larger until he could see the fire blazing around them. They were too large to melt in the heat caused by the friction of the air around them.

And they were heading straight for the party.

They were still staring when Samaroh skidded sideways in front of them. He made several gestures, clutching his book as well, and then flung his hand out just as they neared them.

The air around them vibrated. The rocks shattered when they were just three feet away from the stunned, breathless party. If it hadn't been for Samaroh's Kyrie Eleison they would have been crushed or burned to ashes by now.

Silence settled by degrees on them. Valkron was still sprawled on the ground where he was. Samaroh had fallen to his knees, staring upwards. All of them were, in fact, staring at the city of Glast Heim. Its innocent facade had changed their lives forever.

Valkron only came back to his senses when two gloved hands were offered to him. he shook his head and refocused. Emeth and Iruna were holding their hands out to him, grinning broadly. Iruna looked particularly beautiful, with her blindfold around her neck and her pale brown eyes shining with relief.

The knight grabbed hold of both hands and together they pulled him to his feet before helping up Samaroh. Valkron still felt weak, but he knew it was all right now. he could stop and rest. There was no need to worry about anything anymore.

It was finally over.

He turned. Sagna and Edell were talking in low voices, but they immediately broke off when they saw the knight head towards them, limping slightly.

'I didn't expect both of you to come here,' he said.

'We came here of our own will,' explained Edell. 'To look for you, and give you help when you needed it.'

'Well, you certainly came at the right time,' remarked Valkron, suddenly feeling a lot lighter. The three of them laughed.

'When everything's been restored,' he said, 'I'm going to commend you to the head of the Chivalry. Don't look like that - you deserve it. Admit it. _Don't look so modest, Sagna._ You know you wanted to be looked up to and respected.'

'Well...we didn't come here for that, sir,' said Sagna sheepishly. 'We came here because...well, because it's you, sir.'

_That's the sort of thing no other knight's ever going to get_, said a voice in his head. _Admit it - you wanted it too._

Valkron chuckled. 'All right then. But you're still getting a commendation from me. That's final.'

'Look!' said Eni excitedly, jumping up and down as she pointed up at the sky. 'Look at the spell!'

Everyone looked up. The spell, ghastly as it was, was beginning to disintegrate. As they watched it disappeared, and soon white drops of light began to make their way back down to earth - the souls of the people who had been killed in the search for power and glory.

At the same time the sky above them began to brighten. The dark clouds above began to disappear, only leaving a few puffy ones that turned white. The sky turned from black, and then to grey and then to blue. In a few minutes sunlight poured down onto the watching party and they lifted their faces to the sunlight, closing their eyes as they felt the heat of summer return to the world.

Around them the snow disappeared. Not melted, but disappeared. It was replaced by greenery around them. Creepers appeared around the gates of Glast Heim, the trees gained back their beautiful crowns and grass grew back everywhere.

Within minutes birds were flying overhead, trilling with joy at the return of summer. Little animals leapt out of the bushes and began to squirm or hop around with joy. Lunatics surrounded Eni's pet, which jumped around with them before sitting down to wash its ears. The Chivalry pecos honked with delight at the warmth. All around the forest came back to life, soon filled with everyday sounds of animals. No longer would the trees whistle with the howling wind, no longer would their branches be laden with cold, white snow. No longer would the cities be empty and deserted, only occupied with the cries of the innocent, no longer would the world be shrouded in darkness.

It was the best thing the Raulus party could ever ask for.

They stood there for a long time, faces turned to the sun and sky, smiles spread. All enmity, all conflicts were forgotten. They had fought through everything, and they had survived.

Their friendship would be the beginning of many things to come. But as of now, they didn't know that.

Valkron opened his eyes and looked around at them. They came to their senses and looked back at him. His heart warmed at the sight of their relieved, happy faces. They were his friends now.

'Let's go home,' he said.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 - Epilogue

It was a nice day in Prontera. Of course, it was late spring - just the right time for hanging around in the city doing business or just general wandering around. There appeared to be plenty of travellers from afar as well, winding long yarns about what they'd seen and experienced. Many of these travellers were powerful and battle-scarred, so it wasn't hard to imagine what they'd been through.

Today, another one entered Prontera through the Western Gate. He walked through the masses of people sitting or standing by the streets. Merchants called out their wares as he passed, while blacksmiths and alchemists rested happily. Children ran in the streets, laughing joyfully, almost upsetting a guard. Delicious smells passed him, of fruits and potions and the odd flower or dish or so.

Somehow, however, all these became somewhat muted around this particular traveller. Sounds became muffled, smells indistinguishable, light slightly blurred. It was only for a second or so - after all, he was walking quite fast - but it didn't mean that no one noticed. A blacksmith did.

He watched the traveller, a knight, lead his peco in. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with this particular fellow, although he could have sworn all his senses were nullified when the knight had passed. He shrugged vaguely and resumed his sharpening a bastard sword.

The knight didn't really look particularly threatening, in any way. He didn't look like the kind of person who would be a hero. He had white hair that was slightly bushy, and green eyes that looked straight onward as he walked. There was a visor just above his eyes, and an iron fin-like accessory with transparent green webbing behind each ear He didn't walk like he owned the place, or as if he was trying to hide something. He just walked. The sword at his side was neither gleaming nor new.

It was just that compared to the other knights he acted quite different. Other knights milled around, talking, laughing, discussing and looking through wares. Even a knight sitting at a table in an outdoor restaurant was looking interestedly at what was going around him. This one didn't even look. And, well...he appeared to have no friends, or no _visible_ friends, at any rate.

He stopped in the plaza and looked around. Behind him his peco snorted quietly and scratched at the cobbles as an attempt to find something to eat. The knight looked back over his shoulder, and then went over to the bird and opened a bag hanging on its side. He dug around in it for a bit before pulling out some monster feed and threw it in the direction of the peco's head. The bird snapped its large beak on the food and munched happily as he returned to his normal position in front of his steed.

He seemed to be looking for something. At length he started moving towards South Prontera, weaving his way through the thick crowd.

'Hey! Hey, Valkron!'

Valkron turned around. He looked no different from the day everything had started, apart from a few bandages still visible all over him.

Someone was running towards him. Someone familiar, with red hair. He turned fully around to face Emeth as the wizard reached him.

'What si it?' he said shortly. 'I'm busy.'

'Oh, come on. Don't pretend.' Emeth ran a hand through his hair. 'You just came from the Chivalry, didn't you?'

'No, I didn't.'

'Oh, come on you silly knight,' said Iruna, stepping out of a nearby stall. 'I saw you go in and then you came back out and walked went through the Eastern Gate. Why the heck did you do that? Thought people were following you?'

Valkron's faced stayed blank for a few minutes more, and then he smiled. 'Looks like I can't avoid you all forever.' He waved at the incoming party behind Emeth.

'We're still your party,' said Emeth. 'What were you thinking?'

'Oh, nothing' replied Valkron airily.

'What did you get? What did you get?' asked Eni excitedly, her cart bouncing over the cobbles as she ran up to them. Behind them Nocturne, Samaroh, Khan and Amaru shared looks, grinning.

Valkron held up his package. 'What do you think it looks like?'

'It's about a foot tall and it looks spiky,' said Iruna, who had pulled down her blindfold to take a closer look at it. The package in his hands was wrapped in paper but seemed to be giving off a faint yellow light.

'It's an emperium crystal,' said the knight. 'And of course, the money to set up a guild.'

There was silence for a moment, and then people hurried out of the way when Eni squealed with excitement, clapping her hands. 'Oh, wow! You're going to set up a King's Mercenary guild?'

'Well, they asked me to,' answered Valkron, digging his ear somewhat gingerly.

'How I envy you,' said Emeth. 'When are you going to do it, and who's going to be with you?'

Valkron leaned forward and gave them a cheeky grin. 'Guess.'

More people hurried off as the little group whooped and cheered. As they began talking excitedly, Valkron slipped his arm around Iruna's waist and looked at her. She looked back up into his eyes. They both smiled.

'Let's fight for the world, shall we?' asked Iruna.

'Just what I was thinking,' said Valkron.

He never realised that those words would give a new meaning to the kingdom and would begin a new story to be written down in the history of Rune-Midgard. Above all, it would be the beginning of a legend.

**-End-**


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